Sovran Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Sovran Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,160 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $348,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 332.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Up 1.3 %

American Express stock traded up $3.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $311.37. The stock had a trading volume of 1,724,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,536,095. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express has a 12 month low of $209.10 and a 12 month high of $326.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $306.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $282.25. The company has a market capitalization of $218.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.24.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Express will post 15.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. American Express's payout ratio is 19.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AXP. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a 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. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, HSBC increased their price objective on American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $296.38.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related 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 value 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 approximately $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total transaction of $1,820,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. This trade represents a 48.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 30,664 shares of company stock valued at $9,613,503 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

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.