Vishria Bird Financial Group LLC Buys New Shares in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Vishria Bird Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,197 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth about $29,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. increased its stake in American Express by 42.2% during the second quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in American Express during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth about $46,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $286.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $202.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $272.31 and a 200-day moving average of $251.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. American Express has a 52 week low of $157.97 and a 52 week high of $296.83.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $16.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.68 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that American Express will post 13.4 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price target on American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on American Express from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays upped their target price on American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, HSBC downgraded American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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 that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 111,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,176,150.56. This trade represents a 41.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $29,724,067.18. This trade represents a 10.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

American Express Profile

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.