Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Raises Position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. grew its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 4.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 30,925 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 1,425 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for about 0.8% of Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.'s holdings in American Express were worth $8,320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 268,572 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 955,811 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of 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 boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 408,283 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its holdings in American Express by 463.3% during 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 worth $1,293,259,000 after buying an additional 3,583,959 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AXP traded up $2.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $328.36. The stock had a trading volume of 1,541,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,845,008. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $295.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $289.84. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $220.43 and a twelve month high of $329.14. The firm has a market cap of $230.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.93, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.25.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. Research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.91%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,590,251. This represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AXP. Robert W. Baird upgraded American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $327.00 target price (up previously from $300.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $327.00 target price on American Express in a report on Wednesday. Argus lowered American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average 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.