Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Increases American Express (NYSE:AXP) Price Target to $280.00

American Express (NYSE:AXP) had its target price boosted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $265.00 to $280.00 in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the payment services company’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 17.77% from the company’s current price.

AXP has been the subject of several other reports. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. BTIG Research began coverage on American Express in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday, June 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.50.

American Express Price Performance

NYSE AXP opened at $237.75 on Monday. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $244.41. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $234.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.00. The firm has a market cap of $171.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.62.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 3,592 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,932 shares in the company, valued at $4,602,896.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 3,592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.93, for a total value of $829,500.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,932 shares in the company, valued at $4,602,896.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 177,717 shares of company stock valued at $41,680,999. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Express

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 62.5% during the first quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

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.