Certuity LLC Invests $357,000 in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Certuity LLC bought a new stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,905 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $357,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 5,244 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Express by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,584 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 4,894 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $917,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,786 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,646,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its stake in American Express by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total transaction of $17,979,771.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,248,905.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 203,891 shares of company stock worth $44,373,196. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of AXP stock opened at $231.46 on Thursday. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $240.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $223.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $193.49. The company has a market capitalization of $166.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that American Express will post 12.99 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on American Express from $221.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $210.71.

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.