Milestone Asset Management LLC Has $7.31 Million Stock Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Milestone Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,642 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,103 shares during the period. American Express comprises 1.6% of Milestone Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Milestone Asset Management LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $7,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 332.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP traded up $5.65 on Thursday, hitting $320.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,311,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,657,490. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $304.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $276.54. The company has a market capitalization of $226.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. American Express has a twelve month low of $199.88 and a twelve month high of $326.27.

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

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. American Express's payout ratio is presently 19.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at $1,952,286.84. This trade represents a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $294.95.

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.