American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Pensioenfonds Rail & OV

Pensioenfonds Rail & OV lessened its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 38.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 166,757 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 102,363 shares during the period. American Express comprises 2.8% of Pensioenfonds Rail & OV’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Pensioenfonds Rail & OV’s holdings in American Express were worth $37,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 134.8% in the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 3,592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.93, for a total transaction of $829,500.56. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,602,896.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other American Express news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $3,578,087.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,957,361.83. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 3,592 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.93, for a total transaction of $829,500.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 19,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,602,896.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 177,717 shares of company stock valued at $41,680,999. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of AXP stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $230.68. 2,861,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,054,925. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $165.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.15. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $244.41.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that American Express will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on AXP shares. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.30.

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.