Keybank National Association OH Buys 10,481 Shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)

Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 360,418 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,481 shares during the quarter. Keybank National Association OH owned 0.05% of American Express worth $96,971,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in American Express during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the firm'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 directly owned 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 10,919 shares of the company's stock, 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. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AXP. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $327.00 price objective (up previously from $300.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday. Baird R W upgraded shares of American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday. Argus cut shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $295.25.

American Express Stock Up 0.8%

AXP stock traded up $2.75 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $328.36. 1,541,782 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,843,582. The firm's 50-day moving average is $294.35 and its 200-day moving average is $289.65. The company has a market cap of $230.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.93, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $220.43 and a 12 month high of $329.07.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a return on equity of 32.48% and a net margin of 15.31%. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.