American Express (NYSE:AXP) is Hi Line Capital Management LLC’s 10th Largest Position

Hi Line Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 50,644 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 4,904 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up 3.7% of Hi Line Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Hi Line Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $9,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AXP. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 316,691 shares of company stock worth $70,856,898. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Price Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $236.66 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $170.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $225.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $196.14. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $240.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AXP. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $221.00 price objective (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $210.71.

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.