Zions Bancorporation N.A. Sells 5,820 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. reduced its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 79.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,475 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 5,820 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A.'s holdings in American Express were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in American Express during the third quarter valued at $29,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. boosted its position in American Express by 42.2% during the second quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the second quarter worth about $42,000. Founders Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total value of $21,049,740.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 111,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,176,150.56. The trade was a 41.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total value of $3,552,818.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 109,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,724,067.18. The trade was a 10.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Express Stock Down 0.5 %

American Express stock traded down $1.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $286.87. The company had a trading volume of 2,614,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,906,965. American Express has a 12 month low of $157.97 and a 12 month high of $296.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $272.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $251.09. The company has a market capitalization of $202.09 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.21.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $16.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.68 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 32.46%. American Express's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. American Express's payout ratio is presently 20.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on American Express from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. BTIG Research cut shares of American Express from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $230.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded American Express from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Four 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Express has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $253.09.

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.