Prospera Financial Services Inc Acquires 6,589 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,733 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,589 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in American Express were worth $22,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.2% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,267,377 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $721,525,000 after buying an additional 49,593 shares during the last quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter worth $1,080,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of American Express by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $531,038,000 after acquiring an additional 4,080 shares during the period. Elite Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter worth $2,763,000. Finally, Reliant Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC now owns 26,189 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $8,354,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. This represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock opened at $359.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $368.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $346.04. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $387.49. The company has a market capitalization of $247.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The business’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.04 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 21.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. Evercore set a $400.00 price target on American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Compass Point restated a “neutral” rating and set a $324.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $353.05.

About American Express

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co?brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.