American Express (NYSE:AXP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

American Express (NYSE:AXP) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $230.78.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on American Express from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on American Express from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, June 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $271.06 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.72. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $272.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $194.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.21.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $16.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 32.94%. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Express will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Express

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC now owns 10,384 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,404,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC increased its position in American Express by 0.9% during the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 4,682 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Willner & Heller LLC raised its stake in American Express by 4.1% during the second quarter. Willner & Heller LLC now owns 1,087 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 18.9% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.