Hartline Investment Corp Boosts Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Hartline Investment Corp grew its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 15,271 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Hartline Investment Corp's holdings in American Express were worth $4,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 1.6% during the fourth 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 increased 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 valued at $996,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Auxier Asset Management raised its stake in American Express by 0.5% during the third quarter. Auxier Asset Management now owns 7,133 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,934,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Abel Hall LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 3.6% in the third quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunflower Bank N.A. increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 4,054 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,203,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.2 %

AXP stock traded down $0.65 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $309.61. 1,856,072 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,524,279. American Express has a one year low of $207.61 and a one year high of $326.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.10, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.67. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $306.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $280.80.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Equities research analysts expect that American Express will post 15.32 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on AXP shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. HSBC increased their price target on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $296.38.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. The trade was a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,664 shares of company stock valued at $9,613,503. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.