American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Northstar Advisory Group LLC

Northstar Advisory Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,449 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 4,949 shares during the period. Northstar Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,810,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in American Express by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,712 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in American Express by 1.0% during the third quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $967,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in American Express by 2.1% during the third quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,378 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC raised its position in American Express by 2.1% during the third quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 1,462 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bath Savings Trust Co lifted its holdings in American Express by 1.1% in the third quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co now owns 2,922 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $971,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE AXP opened at $363.30 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $368.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $342.91. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $220.43 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The company has a market cap of $250.26 billion, a PE ratio of 24.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.15.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($15.41). American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC set a $295.00 target price on shares of American Express and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of American Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays raised their target price on American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $353.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total transaction of $18,010,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 85,577 shares in the company, valued at $30,825,691.17. The trade was a 36.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Profile

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co‑brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.