LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI Boosts Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI increased its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 86,344 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,557 shares during the quarter. American Express comprises 2.8% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's holdings in American Express were worth $25,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 332.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock traded down $8.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $294.09. 2,684,923 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,238,008. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $207.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $296.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $269.09. American Express has a 52-week low of $177.81 and a 52-week high of $307.82.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $16.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.30 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that American Express will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on American Express from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Express from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on American Express from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $265.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $272.64.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total transaction of $3,552,818.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 109,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,724,067.18. The trade was a 10.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total transaction of $1,820,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. The trade was a 48.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,998 shares of company stock worth $26,423,439 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.