American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Dana Investment Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Dana Investment Advisors trimmed its American Express stake by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,335 shares and leaving it with 81,929 shares valued at about $30.3 million.
• Other institutional investors were mixed on the stock, with several increasing holdings; meanwhile, 84.33% of American Express shares are owned by institutions and hedge funds.
• American Express reported better-than-expected EPS of $4.28 for the quarter and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a target price of $357.47.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,929 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 5,335 shares during the period. American Express makes up 0.9% of Dana Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $30,310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hills Bank & Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,694 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $8,506,000. Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 18,271 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $6,759,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 99.3% in the fourth quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 5,512 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $2,039,000 after purchasing an additional 2,747 shares during the period. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 113,883 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $42,131,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AXP. Barclays cut their price objective on American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings lowered American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $357.47.

American Express Stock Up 0.3%

American Express stock opened at $313.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $214.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $281.46 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The business's 50-day moving average price is $310.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $342.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.American Express's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 23.71%.

About American Express

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co‑brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.

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