WP Advisors LLC Has $4.44 Million Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

WP Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 7.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,364 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 1,364 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 1.6% of WP Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. WP Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $4,438,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. increased its stake in American Express by 42.2% during the 2nd quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of American Express stock opened at $286.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. American Express has a 52-week low of $157.97 and a 52-week high of $296.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $272.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $251.34.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.22. American Express had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The firm had revenue of $16.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that American Express will post 13.47 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is 20.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of American Express from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $253.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total value of $21,049,740.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 111,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,176,150.56. This trade represents a 41.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total value of $3,552,818.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 109,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,724,067.18. The trade was a 10.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.