Banque Pictet & Cie SA Sells 3,972 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Banque Pictet & Cie SA lessened its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 30.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,141 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 3,972 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SA’s holdings in American Express were worth $3,382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Express by 153.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in American Express in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on AXP shares. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price target on American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price target on American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. Nine 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $352.95.

American Express Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:AXP opened at $300.23 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $324.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $346.01. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $387.49. 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 stock has a market cap of $205.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.51, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.13.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.31%.

American Express Profile

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.