Clarius Group LLC Lowers Stock Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Clarius Group LLC decreased its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,191 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 136 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sheets Smith Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the first quarter valued at approximately $448,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Steward Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 104.9% in the 1st quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 211 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 44.8% in the first quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 239 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mach 1 Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the first quarter worth about $43,712,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, Director Walter Joseph Clayton III acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of $143.93 per share, with a total value of $143,930.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,860. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AXP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of American Express from $192.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Bank of America decreased their price target on American Express from $203.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. HSBC assumed coverage on American Express in a research report on Friday, October 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $181.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $185.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.25.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock traded down $0.21 during trading on Thursday, hitting $159.22. The stock had a trading volume of 423,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,148,691. The stock has a market cap of $116.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $151.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $159.72. American Express has a 1-year low of $140.91 and a 1-year high of $182.15.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 20th. The payment services company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.96 by $0.34. American Express had a net margin of 13.61% and a return on equity of 30.60%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 11.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 6th were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 5th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.51%.

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.