American Express Company $AXP Stake Lessened by Horizon Investment Services LLC

Horizon Investment Services LLC decreased its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 13.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,010 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,073 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for approximately 1.8% of Horizon Investment Services LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Horizon Investment Services LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $4,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 1 North Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $365.74 on Friday. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $220.43 and a 1-year high of $369.26. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $338.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $313.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.55, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.27.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.16. American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The firm had revenue of $18.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. HSBC set a $295.00 price target on shares of American Express and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Compass Point reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $324.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on American Express from $343.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $332.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 112,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.86, for a total transaction of $37,034,041.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 92,810 shares in the company, valued at $30,614,306.60. This represents a 54.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 23,505 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.37, for a total transaction of $7,671,326.85. Following the transaction, the insider owned 123,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,343,574.81. The trade was a 15.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 193,292 shares of company stock valued at $65,363,878 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.