SageView Advisory Group LLC Increases Stock Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 121.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,924 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,997 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its position in American Express by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,268 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $987,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in American Express by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 79,090 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $14,817,000 after purchasing an additional 3,788 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $726,000. Enterprise Financial Services Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 2,751 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE AXP traded up $3.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $239.28. 916,935 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,075,984. The company has a 50 day moving average of $230.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $203.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. American Express has a 52-week low of $140.91 and a 52-week high of $244.41. The firm has a market cap of $172.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.20.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The business 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 quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AXP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com raised American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on American Express from $253.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $210.71.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Quinn Jessica Lieberman sold 3,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.36, for a total value of $729,842.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,948.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 177,717 shares of company stock valued at $41,680,999 in the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.