Flossbach Von Storch AG Boosts Stock Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Flossbach Von Storch AG grew its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 209,175 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,339 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch AG’s holdings in American Express were worth $39,187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RB Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 5.3% in the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,783 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 27,029 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $5,054,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,421 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 207.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 946 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the 1st quarter valued at about $397,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total transaction of $17,979,771.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,248,905.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other American Express news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total transaction of $17,979,771.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 57,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,248,905.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388 over the last ninety days. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP traded down $0.72 on Wednesday, reaching $217.62. 2,256,405 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,064,562. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $219.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.58. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $231.69. The firm has a market cap of $157.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

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

American Express Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of American Express from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $212.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $229.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $235.00 target price for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.62.

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.