SageView Advisory Group LLC Has $2.55 Million Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

SageView Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,596 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Up 1.9 %

American Express stock opened at $251.46 on Friday. American Express has a 1-year low of $216.12 and a 1-year high of $326.28. The company has a market cap of $176.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $279.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $288.26.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Research analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AXP shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on American Express from $325.00 to $244.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Compass Point lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $296.81.

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.