Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 36,372 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 920,204 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,372 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.13% of American Express worth $171,452,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 11,587 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,171,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 417.3% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $77,876,000 after buying an additional 335,338 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,460,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in American Express by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,806 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,837,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Up 0.1 %

AXP traded up $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $241.68. 2,013,095 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,148,801. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $227.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $199.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $173.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.20. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $243.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.79 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The firm's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $221.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, HSBC upped their price objective on American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $210.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 117,309 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.44, for a total value of $27,267,303.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 110,318 shares in the company, valued at $25,642,315.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.