Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Decreases Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. cut its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 33.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,415 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 14,335 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in American Express were worth $8,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in American Express by 332.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Express Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:AXP traded up $1.37 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $279.23. The company had a trading volume of 2,767,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,626,006. 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 has a 52 week low of $214.51 and a 52 week high of $326.28. The company has a market capitalization of $196.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $297.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $288.99.

Remove Ads

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company 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. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. American Express's payout ratio is currently 23.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup lowered their price target on American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two investment 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $302.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis acquired 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $998,593. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by 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.