American Express (NYSE:AXP) Position Lifted by Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC

Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 2,437.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,251 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 155,858 shares during the period. American Express makes up approximately 1.8% of Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $48,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,483,512 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $3,104,735,000 after purchasing an additional 86,100 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in American Express by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,003,715 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,984,208,000 after acquiring an additional 866,110 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in American Express by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,606,986 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,249,415,000 after acquiring an additional 239,173 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in American Express by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,960,842 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,074,168,000 after acquiring an additional 33,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in American Express by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,203,772 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $655,137,000 after acquiring an additional 247,864 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Compass Point dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $296.38.

American Express Price Performance

AXP traded down $8.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $295.23. 3,259,226 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,444,909. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $207.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.24. The business's 50-day moving average price is $307.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $283.79. American Express has a 1-year low of $212.48 and a 1-year high of $326.27.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.99%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 30,664 shares of company stock valued at $9,613,503 over the last 90 days. 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.