Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $84.35 Million Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 311,029 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 1,770 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $84,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 317 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. First International Bank & Trust increased its position in American Express by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. First International Bank & Trust now owns 3,888 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 668 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. InvesTrust acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,249,000. Finally, Sterneck Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Sterneck Capital Management LLC now owns 1,257 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $294.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $207.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $296.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.09. American Express has a 52 week low of $177.81 and a 52 week high of $307.82.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $16.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.68 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that American Express will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 20.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were 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 owns 109,691 shares in the company, valued at $29,724,067.18. This trade represents a 10.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total transaction of $1,820,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. This trade represents a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 96,998 shares of company stock worth $26,423,439 over the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on American Express from $252.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Express from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on American Express from $286.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $272.64.

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.