American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Milestone Asset Management LLC

Milestone Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 35.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,826 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 8,816 shares during the period. American Express comprises approximately 0.9% of Milestone Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Milestone Asset Management LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $4,258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in American Express in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

NYSE AXP traded up $2.28 on Tuesday, hitting $297.61. The company had a trading volume of 2,202,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,840,816. The company has a market capitalization of $208.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.24, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. The company's fifty day moving average price is $271.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $288.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. American Express has a 12-month low of $220.43 and a 12-month high of $326.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 EPS 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 company had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their target price on shares of American Express from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Argus cut shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $296.05.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 now directly owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.