Sentry Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 23.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,925 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 874 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in American Express by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,752,084 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $3,484,312,000 after acquiring an additional 268,572 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,761,336 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,600,277,000 after purchasing an additional 95,927 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,825,135 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,025,632,000 after purchasing an additional 955,811 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $1,785,867,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,015,269 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,488,482,000 after buying an additional 408,283 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of AXP stock traded down $1.20 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $296.19. 1,842,064 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,836,842. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.25. 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 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $326.28. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $271.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $288.85.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded American Express from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $270.00 to $255.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Robert W. Baird upgraded American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. BTIG Research lowered their price objective on American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America upgraded American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $325.00 to $274.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on American Express from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $296.05.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,889,822.54. The trade was a 21.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.