Natixis Reduces Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Natixis lowered its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 67.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,845 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 12,226 shares during the period. Natixis' holdings in American Express were worth $1,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Up 4.2 %

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $252.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $177.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16. American Express has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $326.28. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $270.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $287.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.04 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.33 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's payout ratio is currently 22.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised American Express from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on American Express from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. HSBC increased their price target on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $325.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $297.16.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. The trade was a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis acquired 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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