Qtron Investments LLC Decreases Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Qtron Investments LLC decreased its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,352 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 1,251 shares during the period. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $2,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,785,867,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in American Express by 36,719.1% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,011,790 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $300,289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009,042 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $292,081,000. APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its position in shares of American Express by 538.7% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 355,888 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $102,003,000 after purchasing an additional 300,168 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,517,668 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $450,429,000 after purchasing an additional 273,813 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP traded up $2.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $257.87. The company had a trading volume of 3,507,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,883,837. The firm has a market cap of $181.16 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16. American Express has a 1-year low of $216.51 and a 1-year high of $326.28. The business's 50 day moving average price is $277.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $288.30. 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 quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 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%. Research analysts forecast 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 issued a $0.82 dividend. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,492,492.04. This trade represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the business'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 directly owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BTIG Research upped their target price on American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Baird R W upgraded American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.81.

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.