Cwm LLC Buys 137 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Cwm LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,103 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $3,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Park Place Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 382.6% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 333 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 92.7% during the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,880 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 3,791 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 6.1% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 44,386 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $6,622,000 after purchasing an additional 2,553 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 0.6% during the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 225,355 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $33,621,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 17.1% during the third quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 2,734 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $239.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $172.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. American Express has a 12-month low of $140.91 and a 12-month high of $240.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $221.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $190.53.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. Analysts predict that American Express will post 12.96 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Robert W. Baird downgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $221.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 172,047 shares of company stock valued at $36,528,388 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

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.