Cozad Asset Management Inc. Purchases 1,233 Shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in American Express by 32.8%, now owning almost 5,000 shares worth approximately $1.34 million.
• American Express reported $4.08 EPS for its recent quarter, exceeding analyst estimates of $3.86, along with revenues of $17.86 billion, up 9.3% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, equating to an annualized dividend of $3.28 and a yield of 1.06%.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 32.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,989 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $1,342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 76.9% in the 1st quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,551 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $417,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the period. Canopy Partners LLC increased its stake in American Express by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 5,673 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,526,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in American Express by 631.6% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,739 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $5,311,000 after acquiring an additional 17,041 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in American Express by 1.7% in the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 13,775 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $3,706,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp increased its position in American Express by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 48,771 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $13,122,000 after acquiring an additional 7,447 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.77, for a total transaction of $1,709,235.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,312,049.47. This represents a 21.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total value of $15,475,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 10,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,191.50. This represents a 82.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 64,950 shares of company stock worth $19,787,710. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Down 1.4%

AXP stock traded down $4.22 during trading on Thursday, hitting $299.19. The company had a trading volume of 2,713,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,417,700. The business has a 50-day moving average of $305.99 and a 200-day moving average of $291.53. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $329.14. The stock has a market cap of $208.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.00, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.87% and a net margin of 14.78%. The business had revenue of $17.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.70 billion. The firm's revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.49 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $311.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $327.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $249.00 to $297.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $311.05.

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.