American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Diversified Trust Co

Diversified Trust Co cut its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 13.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,927 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 6,919 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co's holdings in American Express were worth $12,088,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Trillium Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Express by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC now owns 2,449 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in American Express by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,510 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC increased its position in American Express by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $675,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 3,359 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $997,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in American Express by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,967 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $880,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total value of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. This trade represents a 21.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total value of $2,603,475.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $311.75 on Friday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $326.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company's 50-day moving average price is $287.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $288.94. The stock has a market cap of $218.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.25.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 32.48%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.33 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 3rd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America upgraded shares of American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $325.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup cut their price target on American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Redburn Atlantic raised American Express from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $270.00 to $255.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on American Express from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.05.

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.

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