Tweedy Browne Co LLC Lowers Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Tweedy Browne Co LLC trimmed its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 109,209 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 687 shares during the period. American Express makes up about 1.2% of Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $24,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA raised its stake in shares of American Express by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $3,578,087.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,957,361.83. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $3,578,087.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,957,361.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Express Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE AXP traded up $0.77 on Friday, reaching $239.52. The company had a trading volume of 1,103,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,988,217. The firm has a market capitalization of $172.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $234.80 and a 200-day moving average of $219.28. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $244.41.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.40 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Express will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $225.50.

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.