American Express (NYSE:AXP) Holdings Lowered by Marino Stram & Associates LLC

Marino Stram & Associates LLC reduced its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,376 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 98 shares during the period. Marino Stram & Associates LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in American Express by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 192 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 51.0% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,607 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 96.8% during the 4th quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the period. Missouri Trust & Investment Co boosted its stake in American Express by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 1,860 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, XML Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 55.1% in the 4th quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 1,748 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $519,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of American Express stock opened at $322.48 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $300.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market cap of $227.17 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a 12 month low of $184.81 and a 12 month high of $322.82.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on AXP shares. Compass Point raised their price objective on American Express from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com raised American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on American Express from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. BTIG Research cut American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $230.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $278.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares in the company, valued at $1,952,286.84. The trade was a 48.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total value of $3,552,818.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 109,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,724,067.18. This trade represents a 10.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express 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.