Unique Wealth Strategies LLC Acquires Shares of 2,191 American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,191 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $411,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA increased its stake in shares of American Express by 134.8% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP stock traded down $1.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $235.64. The stock had a trading volume of 2,993,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,154,841. American Express has a 52 week low of $140.91 and a 52 week high of $240.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $222.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market cap of $169.50 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.23.

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

American Express Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 210,920 shares of company stock valued at $45,804,652 over the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AXP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upped their price target on American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com raised American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $209.52.

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.