NorthRock Partners LLC Has $4.98 Million Stock Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 376.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,793 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,272 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $4,984,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,142 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $996,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC lifted its position in American Express by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Express by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in American Express by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,424 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

AXP traded up $0.36 during trading on Monday, reaching $300.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 811,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,835,086. The company has a market cap of $210.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $288.25. American Express has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $326.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.04 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.33 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were paid a $0.82 dividend. This is a positive change 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 (DPR) is currently 22.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. HSBC lifted their price target on American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Compass Point dropped their price target on American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has a consensus 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 the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,590,251. This represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total transaction of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,889,822.54. The trade was a 21.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About American Express

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.