Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Reduces Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. decreased its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,735 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 1,257 shares during the period. American Express accounts for approximately 1.2% of Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $31,678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 332.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Compass Point decreased their price target on American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $296.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at $1,952,286.84. This trade represents a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,308,795. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,664 shares of company stock worth $9,613,503. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP traded down $8.63 on Friday, hitting $295.23. The company had a trading volume of 3,277,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,481,628. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express has a 52-week low of $212.48 and a 52-week high of $326.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $307.54 and a 200 day moving average of $284.27. The company has a market cap of $207.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.24.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors 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 yield of 0.95%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.99%.

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.