American Express (NYSE:AXP) Stock Holdings Reduced by Schwerin Boyle Capital Management Inc.

Schwerin Boyle Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 191,648 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up 5.8% of Schwerin Boyle Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Schwerin Boyle Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $56,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AXP. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Down 0.6 %

AXP traded down $1.44 during trading on Friday, hitting $251.48. 3,906,748 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,867,825. The stock has a market cap of $176.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16. The business's 50 day moving average is $272.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.71. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $220.43 and a fifty-two week high of $326.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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, equities analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 22.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the company'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 sale, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,308,795. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on AXP shares. Bank of America raised American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $325.00 to $274.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $294.90.

About American Express

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.