Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $8.71 Million Position in American Express Company $AXP

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 9.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,214 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,724 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $8,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after buying an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Petrus Trust Company LTA acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter worth approximately $280,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in American Express by 4.2% in the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 10,240 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,755,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in American Express by 3.5% during the first quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,232 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $601,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in American Express during the first quarter worth $1,488,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock opened at $383.81 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $264.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.76, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $367.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $338.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.61. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($15.41). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total value of $894,359.15. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,515 shares in the company, valued at $894,359.15. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.73, for a total transaction of $1,753,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,709,739.98. The trade was a 39.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 57,515 shares of company stock valued at $20,658,509 over the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on AXP. Wall Street Zen cut American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 target price on American Express in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $342.40.

American Express Profile

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co‑brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.