Clear Trail Advisors LLC Invests $5 Million in American Express Company $AXP

Clear Trail Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 13,517 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,001,000. American Express accounts for 1.2% of Clear Trail Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in American Express by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,881,546 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,950,095,000 after acquiring an additional 146,586 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth $1,897,335,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of American Express by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,122,335 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,701,435,000 after purchasing an additional 24,297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,452,660 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,479,019,000 after purchasing an additional 29,331 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 13.9% during the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,342,556 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,385,188,000 after purchasing an additional 530,967 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BTIG Research lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Evercore set a $393.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $352.95.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares in the company, valued at $3,189,608.10. The trade was a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP opened at $301.87 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $207.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $334.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $347.78. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $220.43 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.69%.

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.