Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lowered its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 27.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 193 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 73 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $57,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. This trade represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 5.8 %

Shares of AXP stock opened at $233.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market cap of $164.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $288.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $289.44. American Express has a 12-month low of $214.51 and a 12-month high of $326.28.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Compass Point cut their price objective on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $302.24.

American Express 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.