NatWest Group plc Has $8.49 Million Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• NatWest Group plc reduced its holdings in American Express by 23.8% in the first quarter, owning 31,561 shares worth approximately $8.49 million after selling 9,849 shares.
• Other investors such as Vanguard Group and Goldman Sachs have increased their stakes in American Express, with Goldman Sachs growing its holdings by 25.5% in the same quarter.
• American Express recently reported earnings of $4.08 per share, exceeding analyst estimates and reflecting a 9.3% increase in revenue year-over-year, along with an annual dividend yield of 1.0%.

NatWest Group plc decreased its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 23.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,561 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 9,849 shares during the period. American Express comprises 2.5% of NatWest Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. NatWest Group plc's holdings in American Express were worth $8,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AXP. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AXP. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of American Express from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $327.00 price target (up previously from $300.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $342.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of American Express from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $313.45.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 23,505 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.37, for a total value of $7,671,326.85. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 123,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,343,574.81. The trade was a 15.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total transaction of $15,475,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,957 shares in the company, valued at $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 90 days, insiders sold 157,724 shares of company stock valued at $48,227,228. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE AXP traded down $4.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $326.37. 2,971,185 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,303,705. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $313.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $290.81. The company has a market capitalization of $227.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.28. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $220.43 and a 12 month high of $332.46. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $17.86 billion for 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 3rd were given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 3rd. American Express's payout ratio is currently 23.02%.

American Express 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.