KLCM Advisors Inc. Has $403,000 Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

KLCM Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,358 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $403,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 332.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of AXP opened at $311.37 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $218.74 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.24. American Express has a 12 month low of $209.10 and a 12 month high of $326.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $306.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $282.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.32 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s payout ratio is 19.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AXP. StockNews.com cut American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial began coverage on American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.38.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,308,795. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,952,286.84. The trade was a 48.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,664 shares of company stock valued at $9,613,503 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

American Express Company 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.