Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Has $2.62 Million Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,842 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 990 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $2,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the third quarter worth about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of AXP stock traded up $7.47 on Monday, reaching $277.98. The company had a trading volume of 2,650,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,626,372. The company has a 50-day moving average of $297.92 and a 200-day moving average of $288.99. American Express has a 12 month low of $214.51 and a 12 month high of $326.28. The stock has a market cap of $195.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

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American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 23.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AXP. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus cut American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price objective on American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $302.57.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.