American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Acquired by Auxier Asset Management

Auxier Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,133 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the quarter. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. grew its holdings in American Express by 42.2% in the 2nd quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

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

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $304.25 on Friday. American Express has a 1 year low of $163.61 and a 1 year high of $307.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $214.33 billion, a PE ratio of 22.39, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $279.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $254.96.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 15.32%. The firm had revenue of $16.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that American Express will post 13.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of American Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on American Express from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Express from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus 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.