GDS Wealth Management Acquires 2,153 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• GDS Wealth Management increased its stake in American Express by 3.4%, bringing its total holdings to $17.39 million, which constitutes approximately 1.5% of its total portfolio.
• A number of institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Wellington Management, have also increased their positions in American Express, reflecting a broader trend of institutional ownership at 84.33% of the company's stock.
• American Express recently reported earnings of $4.08 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.82, reflecting a 1.1% yield.

GDS Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,621 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,153 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up 1.5% of GDS Wealth Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. GDS Wealth Management's holdings in American Express were worth $17,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in American Express by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,843,893 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $12,334,299,000 after acquiring an additional 605,900 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,025,562 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $4,849,777,000 after buying an additional 2,168,445 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 16.3% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,454,667,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 8.9% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP traded up $10.7930 on Friday, hitting $318.9630. The company had a trading volume of 2,784,219 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,357,253. The company's fifty day moving average price is $308.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $290.10. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $220.43 and a 1-year high of $329.14. 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 stock has a market cap of $221.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $17.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.49 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on American Express from $250.00 to $311.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on American Express from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered American Express from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $327.00 price target on American Express in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Eight 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $311.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 5,500 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.77, for a total value of $1,709,235.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,312,049.47. The trade was a 21.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total value of $15,475,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,191.50. This represents a 82.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 134,219 shares of company stock valued at $40,555,901 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.