Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC grew its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 121,133 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,185 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $22,693,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in American Express in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA grew its position in shares of American Express by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on American Express from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of American Express from $253.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $210.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 203,891 shares of company stock worth $44,373,196 in the last ninety days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP stock traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $230.77. 3,203,304 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,577,762. American Express has a 12-month low of $140.91 and a 12-month high of $240.55. The company has a market capitalization of $165.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $224.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The business 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. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Express will post 12.99 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 issued 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 presently 23.06%.

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.