American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc.

Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,746 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 199 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. RB Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,783 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $707,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Roundview Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 27,029 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $5,054,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of American Express by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,421 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of American Express by 207.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 946 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter valued at $397,000. 83.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. 51job reaffirmed a “reiterates” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, June 30th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of American Express from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $197.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of American Express from $180.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of American Express from $205.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $173.06.

American Express Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of American Express stock traded up $1.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $163.75. The company had a trading volume of 7,273,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,198,514. The company has a market cap of $120.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $164.69 and its 200-day moving average is $163.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.59. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $130.65 and a fifty-two week high of $182.15.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 21st. The payment services company reported $2.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $15.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.41 billion. American Express had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 29.26%. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 11.13 EPS for the current year.

About American Express

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services.