Bensler LLC Buys 1,010 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Bensler LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,585 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Bensler LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $9,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Auxier Asset Management lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 4,054 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,203,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 12,017 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $3,567,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Sovereign Financial Group Inc. increased its position in American Express by 2.7% during the third quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,467 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other news, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,433 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. This represents a 48.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of American Express from $301.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $291.50.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $317.24. 2,431,257 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,769,426. American Express has a 12-month low of $199.07 and a 12-month high of $326.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $302.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $275.72. The company has a market cap of $223.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.34, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 32.46%. Equities analysts forecast that American Express will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. American Express's payout ratio is 20.60%.

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.