Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Purchases 3,005 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,834 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,005 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in American Express were worth $6,480,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Express by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,142 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC increased its position in American Express by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Auxier Asset Management lifted its holdings in American Express by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Auxier Asset Management now owns 7,133 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abel Hall LLC boosted 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 last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE AXP traded up $1.00 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $284.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,616,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,532,717. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $214.51 and a fifty-two week high of $326.27. The firm has a market cap of $199.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.24. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $306.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.61.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.99%.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were 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 directly owns 23,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. This trade represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on AXP. Citigroup boosted their price target on American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Compass Point reduced their target price on American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $296.38.

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.