Fiduciary Group LLC Trims Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Fiduciary Group LLC cut its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,767 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 109 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $4,078,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA increased its position in American Express by 134.8% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $235.64. 2,993,335 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,154,841. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.74. 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 52 week low of $140.91 and a 52 week high of $240.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.40 earnings per share. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. 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 23.06%.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 210,920 shares of company stock worth $45,804,652. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stephens raised American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.52.

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.