American Express (NYSE:AXP) Stake Reduced by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,902 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 238 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in American Express by 118,198.3% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,732,068 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,028,913,000 after acquiring an additional 13,720,460 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $911,554,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at about $210,540,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in American Express by 162.6% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,961,999 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $289,885,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,731 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CI Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $124,325,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AXP traded down $1.14 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $217.26. The company had a trading volume of 414,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,021,888. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $219.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $186.88. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $231.69. The stock has a market cap of $157.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a PEG ratio of 1.26 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 1.71.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by ($0.02). American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.07 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that American Express will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. American Express’s payout ratio is 24.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AXP shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on American Express from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on American Express in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $235.00 price target for the company. Stephens upgraded American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $193.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. DZ Bank lowered American Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.62.

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.