Ceera Investments LLC Cuts Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Ceera Investments LLC lessened its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 16.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,487 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 4,672 shares during the period. American Express comprises approximately 3.4% of Ceera Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $8,689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AXP. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in American Express by 27.0% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,310,515,000 after acquiring an additional 845,283 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in American Express by 23.9% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,787,580 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $925,449,000 after acquiring an additional 537,205 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth about $153,292,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $166,848,000. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 18.5% during the third quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,169,242 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $720,535,000 after acquiring an additional 337,991 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $311.98 on Tuesday. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $281.46 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $311.56 and its 200-day moving average is $340.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a market capitalization of $212.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on American Express in a report on Friday, April 10th. Loop Capital began coverage on American Express in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $389.00 price objective on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. BTIG Research restated a “sell” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $359.05.

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.