American Express (NYSE:AXP) Stock Holdings Lifted by Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC

Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC increased its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 165,171 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the period. American Express comprises approximately 6.9% of Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $49,042,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock traded down $11.13 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $240.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,562,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,862,884. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $272.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.84. American Express has a 12-month low of $220.43 and a 12-month high of $326.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $168.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of American Express from $350.00 to $310.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. As part of a broader Q1 preview for Consumer Finance, RBC anticipates seasonally-driven trends with lower loans and volumes, stable credit performance, and possibly elevated loan loss provisions due to uncertainty. Truist Financial dropped their target price on American Express from $350.00 to $343.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $291.57.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis acquired 3,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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.