209 Shares in American Express Company $AXP Purchased by Flaharty Asset Management LLC

Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 209 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of American Express in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $323.46 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $291.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $220.43 and a twelve month high of $332.46. The company has a market capitalization of $225.09 billion, a PE ratio of 22.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 18th. The payment services company reported $4.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.87% and a net margin of 14.78%.The firm had revenue of $17.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.70 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd were paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 3rd. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on American Express from $250.00 to $311.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $313.45.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total transaction of $15,475,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,957 shares in the company, valued at $3,391,191.50. This represents a 82.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 23,505 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 123,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,343,574.81. This trade represents a 15.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 269,996 shares of company stock valued at $85,261,270. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.