American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Bought by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,543 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $2,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,785,867,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 186.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,986,710 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $886,426,000 after purchasing an additional 1,943,463 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 346.2% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,021,873 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $600,072,000 after purchasing an additional 1,568,747 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 36,719.1% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,011,790 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $300,289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter worth $292,081,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

NYSE AXP traded up $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $284.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,703,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,831,686. American Express has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $326.28. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $263.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $286.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market capitalization of $199.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 22.91%.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total value of $2,603,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total value of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,889,822.54. This represents a 21.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AXP. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded American Express from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $270.00 to $255.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $295.05.

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.