Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 57,036 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 7.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 669,541 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 57,036 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.10% of American Express worth $181,579,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. XML Financial LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 119.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 39,497 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $8,993,000 after purchasing an additional 21,508 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group boosted its stake in American Express by 2,196.4% during the second quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 8,244 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,909,000 after buying an additional 7,885 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 33.1% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 54,318 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $12,368,000 after purchasing an additional 13,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in American Express by 41.3% in the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 701 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AXP traded down $1.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $286.87. 2,614,568 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,906,965. American Express has a 12-month low of $157.97 and a 12-month high of $296.83. The firm has a market cap of $202.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $272.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $251.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63.

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

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. American Express's payout ratio is 20.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on American Express from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Bank of America boosted their target price on American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of American Express from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the company from $268.00 to $286.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered shares of American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $230.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $253.09.

Insider Activity

In related news, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total value of $3,552,818.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 109,691 shares in the company, valued at $29,724,067.18. The trade was a 10.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total value of $21,049,740.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 111,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,176,150.56. This represents a 41.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

About American Express

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.