American Express (NYSE:AXP) Stake Boosted by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,642 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,349,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 417.3% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $77,876,000 after purchasing an additional 335,338 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,460,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1,313.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 768,769 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,440,210,000 after purchasing an additional 714,370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GYL Financial Synergies LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% during the third quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC now owns 23,987 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $3,579,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $218.40 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $219.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.37. The company has a market cap of $158.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $231.69.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.64 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 30.99% and a net margin of 13.84%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that American Express will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 172,047 shares of company stock valued at $36,528,388 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Express from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on American Express from $229.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Stephens raised American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.62.

American Express Profile

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.