Ulysses Management LLC Takes $1.19 Million Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Ulysses Management LLC bought a new position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,000 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $1,187,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,142 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $636,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $509,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its stake in shares of American Express by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,424 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Stock Down 0.2%

AXP stock opened at $299.10 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $209.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express has a 12 month low of $220.43 and a 12 month high of $326.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $266.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $288.43.

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. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. The company had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.33 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the company's 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 directly owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total transaction of $2,603,475.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,590,251. This 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 company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. StockNews.com lowered American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America upgraded American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $325.00 to $274.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $295.05.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AXP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.