4,877 Shares in American Express (NYSE:AXP) Bought by Hall Capital Management Co. Inc.

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,877 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $1,447,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Capital & Planning LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $213,000. Secure Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $299,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of American Express by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 11,194 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $3,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LexAurum Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

NYSE AXP traded down $1.24 on Friday, hitting $294.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,064,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,837,936. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $206.07 billion, a PE ratio of 21.00, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a 12-month low of $220.43 and a 12-month high of $326.28. The company's fifty day moving average price is $270.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $288.68.

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 net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th were paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. American Express's payout ratio is currently 22.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,889,822.54. This trade represents 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup cut their target price on American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, April 21st. BTIG Research cut their price objective on American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Baird R W upgraded American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $296.05.

American Express Company 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.