Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Trims Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych lessened its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,900 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

American Express Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:AXP opened at $294.09 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $307.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $285.99. American Express has a 52 week low of $214.51 and a 52 week high of $326.27. The company has a market capitalization of $206.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, research analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.99%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.38.

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.