Family Capital Management Inc. Sells 454 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Family Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 24.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,382 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 454 shares during the period. Family Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in American Express by 417.3% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $77,876,000 after acquiring an additional 335,338 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $2,460,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 1,313.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 768,769 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,440,210,000 after acquiring an additional 714,370 shares during the period. Finally, GYL Financial Synergies LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC now owns 23,987 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,579,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE AXP traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $217.50. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,878,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,075,421. The business’s 50 day moving average is $219.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.58. American Express has a 12-month low of $140.91 and a 12-month high of $231.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market cap of $157.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.64 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.07 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Express will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 24.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $229.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on American Express in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $235.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total value of $17,979,771.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 57,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,248,905.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other American Express news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total value of $17,979,771.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 57,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,248,905.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 172,047 shares of company stock valued at $36,528,388 over the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.