Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Sells 1,173 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA trimmed its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 42.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,603 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 1,173 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in American Express were worth $435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital & Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in American Express by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its position in American Express by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,911 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of American Express by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 2,056 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of American Express by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,527 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $799,008.54. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. This trade represents a 21.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total value of $2,603,475.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Baird R W upgraded American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Argus cut American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, BTIG Research cut their price objective on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $296.05.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock traded down $10.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $287.62. 3,405,421 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,817,803. The stock has a market cap of $201.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. 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 is $278.89 and its 200-day moving average is $289.04.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion during 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 prior year, the firm earned $3.33 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.