MFA Wealth Advisors LLC Has $8.42 Million Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• MFA Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in American Express by 5.1%, owning 26,407 shares worth approximately $8.42 million, making it the firm's 15th largest position.
• American Express reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the recent quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates by $0.22 and achieving a revenue of $17.86 billion, reflecting a 9.3% increase compared to the same period last year.
• Institutional investors own 84.33% of American Express's stock, with several firms like Vanguard and Wellington Management increasing their stakes in the company during the first quarter.

MFA Wealth Advisors LLC cut its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 26,407 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 1,425 shares during the period. American Express comprises about 2.0% of MFA Wealth Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $8,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,843,893 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $12,334,299,000 after acquiring an additional 605,900 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in 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 worth $4,849,777,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168,445 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,454,667,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 1.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 5,093,807 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,370,489,000 after buying an additional 78,538 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 25.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,752,690 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,278,711,000 after buying an additional 965,221 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Up 0.2%

AXP stock opened at $341.73 on Tuesday. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $345.51. The stock has a market cap of $237.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $315.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $294.01. 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 (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $17.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.70 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.78% and a return on equity of 32.87%. American Express's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.49 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 16,998 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.83, for a total transaction of $5,011,520.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,653,764.83. This trade represents a 65.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 269,996 shares of company stock valued at $85,261,270. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on American Express from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on American Express from $249.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on American Express from $360.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on American Express from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Express currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $315.20.

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.

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