American Express (NYSE:AXP) is NFC Investments LLC’s 10th Largest Position

NFC Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,325 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 282 shares during the period. American Express comprises about 3.5% of NFC Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. NFC Investments LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $12,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA boosted its position in American Express by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 7,203 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,138,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $145,000. Signature Wealth Management Group lifted its position in shares of American Express by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 8,987 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,667,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $250,000. Finally, Gallacher Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 1,049 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Up 3.7 %

NYSE:AXP opened at $266.04 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $301.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $288.41. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $214.51 and a fifty-two week high of $326.27. The firm has a market cap of $186.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on AXP. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price 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. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of American Express from $301.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.24.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis acquired 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $998,593. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.12% 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.