Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Sells 22,894 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 5.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 404,328 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 22,894 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 0.8% of Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $134,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AXP. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 153.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its position in American Express by 210.7% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on American Express from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $356.90.

American Express Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $300.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.09 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $344.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $348.94. 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 1.68, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. American Express’s payout ratio is 24.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. This trade represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,767,480.14. This represents a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About American Express

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.