American Express (NYSE:AXP) Stock Holdings Lifted by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 44.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,745 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 16,327 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $15,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Express by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,483,512 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $3,104,735,000 after acquiring an additional 86,100 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew 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 buying an additional 866,110 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in American Express by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,761,336 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,600,277,000 after buying an additional 95,927 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 5.5% in the third 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 valued at $1,249,415,000 after buying an additional 239,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 0.8% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. The trade was a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Trading Down 1.2 %

American Express stock traded down $3.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $275.99. The stock had a trading volume of 2,578,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,629,267. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $297.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $289.24. American Express has a twelve month low of $214.51 and a twelve month high of $326.28.

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 (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%. Analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 23.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Compass Point dropped their price target on American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $302.57.

American Express Company 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.