Leavell Investment Management Inc. Has $1.95 Million Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,120 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 255 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in American Express by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. now owns 7,967 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,541,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 4.8% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $384,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 16.6% during the second quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 2,500 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $797,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 15.3% in the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 5,047 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Express by 0.8% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,594,663 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $508,666,000 after purchasing an additional 13,196 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 112,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.86, for a total value of $37,034,041.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,810 shares in the company, valued at $30,614,306.60. This trade represents a 54.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total transaction of $15,475,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,391,191.50. The trade was a 82.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 277,511 shares of company stock worth $87,909,279 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. DZ Bank raised American Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $340.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on American Express from $330.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $327.00 target price (up from $300.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $332.65.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $357.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $220.43 and a twelve month high of $362.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $330.62 and a 200-day moving average of $306.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $246.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.29.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.16. American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The business had revenue of $18.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.49 earnings per share. American Express’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

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.