UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 408,283 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,015,269 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 408,283 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.71% of American Express worth $1,488,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total value of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,889,822.54. The trade was a 21.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE AXP opened at $299.10 on Tuesday. 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 1-year low of $220.43 and a 1-year high of $326.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $266.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $288.43.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. American Express's payout ratio is 22.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. Baird R W raised American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price target on American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on American Express from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $295.05.

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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