Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Makes New $2.44 Million Investment in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,216 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $2,438,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the company'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 owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. The trade was a 21.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of AXP traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $300.30. The company had a trading volume of 927,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,835,531. The company's 50 day moving average price is $266.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $288.25. The stock has a market cap of $210.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $326.28. 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 (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.04 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were given a $0.82 dividend. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, April 21st. Argus downgraded shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.