American Express (NYSE:AXP) Position Boosted by Abacus FCF Advisors LLC

Abacus FCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 46.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,121 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,640 shares during the period. American Express accounts for approximately 1.7% of Abacus FCF Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Abacus FCF Advisors LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $12,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,785,867,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in American Express by 36,719.1% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,011,790 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $300,289,000 after acquiring an additional 1,009,042 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $292,081,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,517,668 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $450,429,000 after purchasing an additional 273,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,752,084 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $3,484,312,000 after purchasing an additional 268,572 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

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American Express Price Performance

AXP stock traded up $4.57 during trading on Friday, reaching $251.46. 4,412,201 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,882,910. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $279.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $288.41. American Express has a 52-week low of $216.51 and a 52-week high of $326.28. The company has a market cap of $176.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. As a group, analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's payout ratio is 23.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Compass Point reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Argus cut shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Express currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.81.

American Express Profile

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.