American Express (NYSE:AXP) Given New $260.00 Price Target at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

American Express (NYSE:AXP) had its price target increased by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $240.00 to $260.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a buy rating on the payment services company’s stock.

AXP has been the subject of a number of other reports. Stephens upgraded American Express from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and raised their target price for the company from $148.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. HSBC raised their price target on American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Express from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Express currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $209.52.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $239.23 on Monday. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $240.55. The firm has a market cap of $172.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.62. The business has a fifty day moving average of $221.62 and a 200-day moving average of $190.53.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 12.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of American Express 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 transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in American Express by 62.5% in the 1st quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

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.