Bfsg LLC Grows Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Bfsg LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 21,124 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $3,957,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA boosted its holdings in American Express by 134.8% in the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE:AXP traded down $3.19 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $235.93. The company had a trading volume of 850,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,166,155. American Express has a 52 week low of $140.91 and a 52 week high of $240.55. The company has a market capitalization of $169.70 billion, a PE ratio of 19.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $221.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $190.53.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.40 EPS. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $221.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.52.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About American Express

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.