Aberdeen Group plc Sells 49,062 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 7.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 588,539 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 49,062 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in American Express were worth $178,975,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth about $14,208,662,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 40.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 40,967,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $13,857,176,000 after buying an additional 11,739,541 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $253,945,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,263,787,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,138,054,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 44,910 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.20, for a total transaction of $14,694,552.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,710,544.80. This represents a 68.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 299,401 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.16, for a total value of $99,449,036.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 60,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,117,934.72. This trade represents a 83.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 414,171 shares of company stock worth $137,069,544 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock opened at $320.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The company’s 50-day moving average is $315.45 and its 200-day moving average is $324.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $214.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.09. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $290.97 and a 1 year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.18. American Express had a return on equity of 34.19% and a net margin of 15.80%. The firm had revenue of $20.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of American Express from $396.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, October 23rd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on American Express from $338.00 to $335.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings raised American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.42.

American Express Company Profile

American Express Company is a global payments and financial services company that operates a card-issuing business and a payments network. Its products and services include consumer, small-business and corporate cards, payment processing, lending, travel services and expense-management solutions. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company expanded into financial services and became known for its charge cards and travel-related services. Today, it serves cardholders and businesses in the United States and markets around the world, connecting customers, merchants and financial institutions through its network.