American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd

OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd reduced its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 25.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,200 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 4,900 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for 5.7% of OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd’s holdings in American Express were worth $4,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $17,412,000. Evoke Wealth LLC increased its stake in American Express by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 9,619 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,855,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in American Express by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 9,687 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,868,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc grew its position in American Express by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,967 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $880,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its position in American Express by 69.5% in the fourth quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,632 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 1,489 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $264.36 on Tuesday. American Express has a one year low of $214.51 and a one year high of $326.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $300.85 and a 200-day moving average of $288.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $185.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.41%.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis acquired 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on AXP shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. HSBC raised their price target on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of American Express from $301.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus downgraded shares of American Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.24.

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.