Banque Transatlantique SA Takes Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,283 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $3,651,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $832,000. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Express by 430.6% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,765 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,292,000 after purchasing an additional 3,867 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in American Express by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 349,937 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $103,858,000 after purchasing an additional 12,364 shares during the period. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI grew its holdings in American Express by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 86,344 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $25,626,000 after purchasing an additional 2,557 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of American Express by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 6,451 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. Compass Point decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. BTIG Research decreased their price target on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $295.05.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. This trade represents a 21.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP traded down $2.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $275.68. The company had a trading volume of 3,060,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,827,554. 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 company has a market capitalization of $193.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a twelve month low of $220.43 and a twelve month high of $326.28. The company's 50-day moving average is $263.87 and its 200-day moving average is $286.89.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. American Express's payout ratio is presently 22.91%.

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.