Bensler LLC Buys 1,010 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Bensler LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,585 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Bensler LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $9,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AXP. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in American Express by 332.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 1.3 %

AXP stock opened at $312.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $302.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $275.17. American Express has a 52 week low of $199.07 and a 52 week high of $326.27. The company has a market capitalization of $220.06 billion, a PE ratio of 23.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results 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 15.32% and a return on equity of 32.46%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. BTIG Research boosted their target price on American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. HSBC upped their price objective on American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $291.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. This trade represents a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.