Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,762 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $523,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AXP. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $832,000. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in American Express by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 349,937 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $103,858,000 after buying an additional 12,364 shares in the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC boosted its position in American Express by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 6,451 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,915,000 after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Express by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,982 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $5,638,000 after acquiring an additional 2,826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 26,102 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $7,747,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE AXP traded down $3.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $295.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,703,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,841,924. American Express has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $326.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market cap of $207.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $266.96 and a 200 day moving average of $288.43.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXP has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of 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, Redburn Atlantic upgraded American Express from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $270.00 to $255.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $295.05.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of American Express 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 transaction, the insider now owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at $2,590,251. The trade was a 50.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express 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.