Arkadios Wealth Advisors Has $5.38 Million Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 17.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 16,183 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,406 shares during the quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors’ holdings in American Express were worth $5,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AXP. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in American Express in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 210.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total transaction of $894,359.15. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $894,359.15. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total transaction of $18,010,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 85,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,825,691.17. The trade was a 36.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Compass Point restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $324.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, October 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded American Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $340.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on American Express from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $353.95.

American Express Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $352.02 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.59. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $368.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $341.72.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($15.41). The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

About American Express

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co‑brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.