Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Cuts Stock Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI trimmed its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 127,716 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 3,003 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for approximately 3.0% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI's holdings in American Express were worth $37,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,142 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC grew its position in American Express by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC increased its stake in American Express by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 4,007 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,189,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Auxier Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Auxier Asset Management now owns 7,133 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,934,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Abel Hall LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Stock Down 4.4 %

Shares of American Express stock traded down $11.94 during trading on Monday, reaching $261.27. The company had a trading volume of 4,261,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,632,049. The company has a market cap of $183.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $214.51 and a fifty-two week high of $326.27. The firm's fifty day moving average is $305.44 and its 200-day moving average is $288.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. American Express's payout ratio is presently 23.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AXP. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on American Express from $301.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned 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 $296.38.

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.