Cambiar Investors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Cambiar Investors LLC reduced its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,610 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 7,657 shares during the period. Cambiar Investors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $32,090,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AXP. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total value of $18,010,500.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 85,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,825,691.17. This trade represents a 36.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group set a $385.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Compass Point reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $324.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $353.95.

American Express Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE AXP opened at $359.54 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $368.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $343.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The firm has a market cap of $247.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.15. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). American Express had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 14.97%.The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 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.