American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-four analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $296.05.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of American Express from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $272.00 to $240.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total transaction of $2,603,475.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,590,251. This represents a 50.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total value of $799,008.54. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. This trade represents a 21.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trillium Asset Management LLC increased its stake in American Express by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC now owns 2,449 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $727,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of American Express by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,510 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of American Express by 4.7% in the first quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 772 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 0.7% in the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,921 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of American Express by 4.8% in the first quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 792 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:AXP opened at $308.73 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $216.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.56, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $288.84. American Express has a 12-month low of $220.43 and a 12-month high of $326.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a return on equity of 32.48% and a net margin of 15.31%. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.91%.

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.