Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 13.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,705 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,129 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in American Express were worth $11,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,752,084 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $3,484,312,000 after acquiring an additional 268,572 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of American Express by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,825,135 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,025,632,000 after purchasing an additional 955,811 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,785,867,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,015,269 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,488,482,000 after buying an additional 408,283 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 463.3% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,357,487 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,293,259,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583,959 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
American Express Stock Performance
AXP traded up $2.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $328.36. 1,541,782 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,843,582. The company's 50-day moving average is $294.35 and its 200 day moving average is $289.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.25. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $329.14.
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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 32.48%. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.
American Express Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. American Express's payout ratio is 22.91%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Argus cut shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Baird R W upgraded shares of American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $295.25.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on American Express
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other American Express news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. The trade was a 21.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total transaction of $2,603,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,402 shares in the company, valued at $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.
American Express Profile
(
Free Report)
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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