American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Citizens National Bank Trust Department

Citizens National Bank Trust Department lowered its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,633 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 53 shares during the period. Citizens National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in American Express by 332.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Down 0.9 %

American Express stock opened at $309.90 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $307.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $283.65. American Express has a 1-year low of $209.10 and a 1-year high of $326.27. The company has a market cap of $217.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.99%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,492,492.04. This trade represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. The trade was a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,664 shares of company stock worth $9,613,503. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.38.

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.