Swedbank AB Boosts Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 410,457 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,778 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in American Express were worth $121,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Auxier Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Auxier Asset Management now owns 7,133 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,934,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Abel Hall LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. increased its position in American Express by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 4,054 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,203,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC raised its stake in American Express by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 12,017 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,567,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Sovereign Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,467 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP traded up $0.78 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $317.82. 167,554 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,621,466. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63. American Express has a 1 year low of $199.88 and a 1 year high of $326.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $303.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $276.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 32.46%. As a group, research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. The trade was a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays boosted their target price on American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $291.50.

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.