First City Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,800 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

First City Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 70.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 757 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 1,800 shares during the period. First City Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Capital & Planning LLC bought a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $213,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in American Express by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after buying an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its position in American Express by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,424 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Leo Wealth LLC increased its position in American Express by 80.3% in the 4th quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 5,860 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,739,000 after buying an additional 2,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,920,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $302.71 on Friday. American Express has a 12 month low of $220.43 and a 12 month 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $273.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $289.09. The company has a market cap of $212.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.61, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.25.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $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 owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research cut their price target on American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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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