IFM Investors Pty Ltd Decreases Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd has reduced its stake in American Express Company by 1.9%, owning 107,971 shares valued at approximately $29 million after selling 2,046 shares in the first quarter.
• American Express recently reported quarterly earnings of $4.08 EPS, exceeding analysts' estimates, with a revenue of $17.86 billion and a year-on-year increase of 9.3%.
• Insider trading activity showed significant sales, including 50,000 shares sold by insider Glenda G. Mcneal, indicating reduced ownership stakes among executives.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd trimmed its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 107,971 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 2,046 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in American Express were worth $29,050,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AXP. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Trading Down 1.2%

American Express stock traded down $3.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $325.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,000,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,294,247. The company has a 50 day moving average of $313.29 and a 200-day moving average of $291.93. The stock has a market cap of $226.50 billion, a PE ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.61. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $332.46.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $17.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.49 EPS. American Express's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on American Express from $250.00 to $311.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded American Express from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $327.00 target price (up previously from $300.00) on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded American Express from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $313.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other news, insider Anna Marrs sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.77, for a total transaction of $1,709,235.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,312,049.47. This represents a 21.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 112,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.86, for a total value of $37,034,041.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,810 shares in the company, valued at $30,614,306.60. The trade was a 54.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 269,996 shares of company stock worth $85,261,270. 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.