Headlands Technologies LLC Makes New $641,000 Investment in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)

Key Points

• Headlands Technologies LLC invested approximately $641,000 in American Express by acquiring 2,384 shares in the 1st quarter.
• Several large investors notably increased their stakes in American Express, with DZ BANK AG boosting its position by 463.3% in the last quarter.
• American Express recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $4.08, exceeding analysts' estimates by $0.22, alongside an annualized dividend of $3.28.

Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,384 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $641,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Down 0.4%

American Express stock traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $296.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,316,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,959,688. The firm's 50 day moving average is $306.59 and its 200 day moving average is $290.45. The company has a market cap of $206.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.60. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $329.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $17.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.70 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.87% and a net margin of 14.78%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.49 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd were given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 3rd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 61,721 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.47, for a total value of $18,360,145.87. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,677,527.47. This represents a 87.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was 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. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on AXP. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded American Express from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on American Express from $260.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. DZ Bank downgraded American Express from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $311.05.

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.