Better Money Decisions LLC Makes New Investment in American Express Company $AXP

Better Money Decisions LLC acquired a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 637 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in American Express by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,843,893 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $12,334,299,000 after purchasing an additional 605,900 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 13.7% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,025,562 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,849,777,000 after buying an additional 2,168,445 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,487,316 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,282,984,000 after buying an additional 1,349,746 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the first quarter worth $1,454,667,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in American Express by 1.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 5,093,807 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,370,489,000 after acquiring an additional 78,538 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total value of $894,359.15. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,515 shares in the company, valued at $894,359.15. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total value of $18,010,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 85,577 shares in the company, valued at $30,825,691.17. The trade was a 36.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 193,292 shares of company stock worth $65,363,878 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Compass Point reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $324.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Express from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. DZ Bank raised American Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $340.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on American Express from $343.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $332.65.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE AXP opened at $372.49 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $342.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $316.58. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $220.43 and a fifty-two week high of $377.23. The company has a market cap of $256.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.61.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 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 company had revenue of $18.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.49 earnings per share. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th were issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

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.