Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Purchases 6,662 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 174,093 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,662 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in American Express were worth $51,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,142 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. boosted its stake in American Express by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 4,054 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,203,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. grew its position in American Express by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $509,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Up 0.4 %

AXP traded up $0.99 on Tuesday, reaching $265.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 700,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,832,404. The stock has a market cap of $186.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The business's 50 day moving average is $266.75 and its 200 day moving average is $287.25. American Express has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $326.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.04 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.91%.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was 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 directly owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $4,308,795. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. BTIG Research cut their price objective on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America raised American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $325.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $295.05.

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.