American Century Companies Inc. Has $333.58 Million Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,123,961 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 136,723 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.16% of American Express worth $333,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,142 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC grew its position in American Express by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,189,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Auxier Asset Management lifted its holdings in American Express by 0.5% in the third quarter. Auxier Asset Management now owns 7,133 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,934,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Abel Hall LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In related news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. The trade was a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $998,593. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP traded down $3.29 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $275.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,578,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,629,267. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $297.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $289.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $214.51 and a fifty-two week high of $326.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. 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 dividend payout ratio is 23.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Baird R W upgraded American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $302.57.

American Express Company 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.