Calton & Associates Inc. Has $543,000 Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Calton & Associates Inc. increased its stake in American Express Company by 170.1% during the first quarter, resulting in ownership of 2,020 shares worth approximately $543,000.
• American Express reported a Q2 earnings per share (EPS) of $4.08, surpassing analysts' expectations of $3.86, with revenues of $17.86 billion, marking a 9.3% increase year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 1.0%.

Calton & Associates Inc. boosted its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 170.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,020 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares during the period. Calton & Associates Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. increased its holdings in American Express by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 772 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management increased its holdings in American Express by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 792 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in American Express by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,661 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,620 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 5,236 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,362,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total transaction of $15,475,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,391,191.50. This represents a 82.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 23,505 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.37, for a total value of $7,671,326.85. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 123,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,343,574.81. This trade represents a 15.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 157,724 shares of company stock worth $48,227,228 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of American Express stock traded up $6.85 on Thursday, hitting $330.56. 2,483,531 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,902,952. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $332.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $312.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $290.80. The company has a market capitalization of $230.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.28.

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 company had revenue of $17.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.49 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 3rd were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on American Express from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $327.00 target price on American Express in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. BTIG Research set a $277.00 price target on American Express and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Truist Financial upped their price target on American Express from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered American Express from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.