American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC

Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC decreased its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,067 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 237 shares during the quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,064,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA raised its position in shares of American Express by 134.8% in the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $3,578,087.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,957,361.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 3,592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.93, for a total transaction of $829,500.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,602,896.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $3,578,087.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,957,361.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 177,717 shares of company stock valued at $41,680,999. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP traded up $1.31 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $235.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,060,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,039,763. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $244.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $234.69 and its 200 day moving average is $216.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 earnings per share. American Express’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Express will post 13 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 5th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC raised their price target on shares of American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. BTIG Research assumed coverage on American Express in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.30.

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.