American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Aureus Asset Management LLC

Aureus Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 19.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,193 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 27,116 shares during the period. American Express makes up 2.2% of Aureus Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $33,634,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in American Express by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $465,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Lantz Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 808 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 1,400 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $518,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Members Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Members Trust Co now owns 2,139 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $791,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in American Express by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 633 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AXP. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded American Express from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. HSBC increased their target price on American Express from $312.00 to $329.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $374.11.

Read Our Latest Analysis on AXP

American Express Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of American Express stock opened at $348.79 on Thursday. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $288.34 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The company has a market capitalization of $237.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The business has a 50-day moving average of $331.70 and a 200-day moving average of $330.59.

American Express (NYSE:AXPGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The company’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

American Express News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting American Express this week:

American Express Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for American Express (NYSE:AXP)

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