Chilton Capital Management LLC Acquires 1,219 Shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)

Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 121,864 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,219 shares during the quarter. American Express comprises approximately 1.4% of Chilton Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Chilton Capital Management LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $32,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.3% during the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 268,572 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in American Express by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,825,135 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $2,025,632,000 after buying an additional 955,811 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,785,867,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 8.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its stake in American Express by 463.3% in the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,357,487 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,293,259,000 after buying an additional 3,583,959 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total transaction of $2,603,475.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 10,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,889,822.54. The trade was a 21.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP traded up $2.75 on Friday, hitting $328.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,541,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,845,008. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $329.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $295.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $289.85. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $230.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.25.

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

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the topic of several research reports. BTIG Research cut their price objective on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $327.00 price target on American Express in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Baird R W upgraded American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday. One 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $295.25.

American Express Profile

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.