American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Purchased by Hartline Investment Corp

Hartline Investment Corp raised its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 29.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,086 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 3,242 shares during the quarter. Hartline Investment Corp's holdings in American Express were worth $3,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in American Express in the third quarter worth $29,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 42.2% in the 2nd quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Founders Capital Management purchased a new stake in American Express during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.3 %

AXP stock traded down $0.87 on Wednesday, hitting $287.64. 2,117,575 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,907,961. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.21. The business's fifty day moving average is $270.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.23. American Express has a twelve month low of $156.03 and a twelve month high of $296.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $16.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.30 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Express will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. American Express's payout ratio is 20.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AXP. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. BTIG Research downgraded American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $230.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on American Express from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $260.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $253.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total transaction of $21,049,740.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 111,656 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,176,150.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total transaction of $3,552,818.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 109,691 shares in the company, valued at $29,724,067.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total transaction of $21,049,740.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 111,656 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,176,150.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.