American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Freedom Together Foundation

Freedom Together Foundation decreased its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 79.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,851 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 35,000 shares during the quarter. American Express comprises 0.3% of Freedom Together Foundation's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Freedom Together Foundation's holdings in American Express were worth $2,627,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

American Express Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of American Express stock traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $300.65. 943,438 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,830,264. American Express has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $326.28. The company has a fifty day moving average of $264.55 and a 200-day moving average of $287.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 EPS 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 issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AXP. Argus lowered shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on American Express from $340.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Redburn Atlantic upgraded American Express from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $270.00 to $255.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Baird R W raised American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $295.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total value of $799,008.54. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,889,822.54. This trade represents a 21.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total value of $2,603,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.