American Express (AXP) Set to Announce Earnings on Friday

American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Rating) is set to release its earnings data before the market opens on Friday, January 27th. Analysts expect American Express to post earnings of $2.18 per share for the quarter. Persons interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 21st. The payment services company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $13.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.58 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.28% and a net margin of 15.02%. The business’s revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.27 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect American Express to post $10 EPS for the current fiscal year and $11 EPS for the next fiscal year.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock traded up $1.33 on Tuesday, reaching $155.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,344,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,987,317. The company has a market capitalization of $116.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.14. American Express has a 52-week low of $130.65 and a 52-week high of $199.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $151.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $150.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 5th. American Express’s payout ratio is 20.90%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Walter Joseph Clayton III bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $149.27 per share, with a total value of $149,270.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $149,270. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Walter Joseph Clayton III bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $149.27 per share, with a total value of $149,270.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $149,270. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 16,354 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.23, for a total value of $2,522,277.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,272,471.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Express

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Plancorp LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 3,019 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. KC Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth about $505,000. Navis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth about $483,000. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth about $397,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Express from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 15th. Atlantic Securities dropped their price target on American Express from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on American Express to $135.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 13th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $159.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on American Express from $130.00 to $128.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $170.74.

About American Express

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American Express Co engages in the provision of charge and credit card products and travel-related services. It operates through the following segments: U.S Consumer Services (USCS), Commercial Services (CS), International Card Services (ICS), Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS), and Corporate and Other.