Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Sells 1,259 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. reduced its stake in American Express by 4.1%, selling 1,259 shares and holding 29,148 shares valued at approximately $9.3 million.
• American Express announced a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.9%, payable on November 10th.
• Research analysts have given American Express a consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price averaging $323.60, reflecting varied ratings among the 25 analysts covering the stock.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. trimmed its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 4.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,148 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 1,259 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in American Express were worth $9,298,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. DLK Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 869 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 772 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,921 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,324,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Greenfield Savings Bank lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Greenfield Savings Bank now owns 13,116 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $4,184,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. HSBC set a $295.00 price target on American Express and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Express from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on American Express from $348.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on American Express from $330.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $323.60.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP opened at $346.45 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $325.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.09. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $349.19. The company has a market capitalization of $241.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.29. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.16. American Express had a return on equity of 32.87% and a net margin of 14.78%.The firm had revenue of $18.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.49 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.02%.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 16,998 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.83, for a total value of $5,011,520.34. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 112,272 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.86, for a total value of $37,034,041.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,810 shares in the company, valued at $30,614,306.60. This represents a 54.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 269,996 shares of company stock worth $85,261,270. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Company 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.

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