American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C.

Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C. lessened its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,821 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 84 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 0.8% of Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Beaumont Asset Management L.L.C.’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,431,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 332.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP opened at $316.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $223.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.24. American Express has a 1 year low of $207.61 and a 1 year high of $326.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $306.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $279.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.3 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 19.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,492,492.04. This trade represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total transaction of $1,820,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. The trade was a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,664 shares of company stock worth $9,613,503 over the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the subject of a number of research reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.38.

American Express Company 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.