WoodTrust Financial Corp Has $18.86 Million Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• WoodTrust Financial Corp increased its stake in American Express by 44.2% during the second quarter, holding 59,117 shares valued at approximately $18.86 million.
• American Express reported an EPS of $4.08 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, with revenues reaching $17.86 billion, a 9.3% increase from the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, with the ex-dividend date set for October 10th, and the dividend yield currently at 1.0%.

WoodTrust Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 44.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,117 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 18,132 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for approximately 2.2% of WoodTrust Financial Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. WoodTrust Financial Corp's holdings in American Express were worth $18,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AXP. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenfield Savings Bank boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of American Express stock opened at $327.61 on Wednesday. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $349.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $320.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $299.26. The company has a market capitalization of $227.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.87% and a net margin of 14.78%.The company had revenue of $17.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 23.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on American Express from $311.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. DZ Bank lowered American Express from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Truist Financial boosted 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, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $323.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 112,272 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laureen Seeger sold 16,998 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider owned 9,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,653,764.83. The trade was a 65.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 269,996 shares of company stock valued at $85,261,270. 0.20% of the stock is 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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