Aberdeen Group plc Has $238.73 Million Position in American Express Company $AXP

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 747,940 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 39,754 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in American Express were worth $238,731,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new stake in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 112,272 shares of American Express 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 owned 92,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,614,306.60. This trade represents a 54.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 23,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.37, for a total value of $7,671,326.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 123,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,343,574.81. The trade was a 15.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 269,996 shares of company stock worth $85,261,270. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of AXP opened at $316.27 on Friday. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $349.19. The business’s fifty day moving average is $322.16 and its 200-day moving average is $300.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market cap of $220.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.29.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.87% and a net margin of 14.78%.The company had revenue of $17.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on American Express from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. HSBC set a $295.00 price objective on American Express and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. BTIG Research set a $277.00 price objective on American Express and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on American Express from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $323.60.

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.