Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Invests $8.76 Million in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 29,500 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $8,755,000. American Express comprises approximately 0.9% of Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aviance Capital Partners LLC grew its position in American Express by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 14,880 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $4,416,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Bradyco Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $1,506,000. BBR Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. BBR Partners LLC now owns 1,801 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 9,823 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Family Wealth Counselors L.L.C. raised its holdings in American Express by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Family Wealth Counselors L.L.C. now owns 1,177 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on American Express from $301.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial began coverage on American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. Finally, Compass Point cut their price objective on American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $296.38.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP traded down $5.94 on Tuesday, reaching $255.38. The company had a trading volume of 4,924,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,682,411. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express has a 1 year low of $214.51 and a 1 year high of $326.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $179.41 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $303.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $288.29.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share 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, research analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.41%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate 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.