American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC lessened its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,902 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 238 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $356,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tyler Stone Wealth Management purchased a new stake in American Express during the second quarter worth about $27,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 57,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,248,905.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. 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 the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were 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 $12,248,905.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock valued at $36,528,388 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.5 %

AXP stock traded down $1.14 on Tuesday, hitting $217.26. 414,615 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,021,888. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $231.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The business’s fifty day moving average is $219.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. American Express’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Express will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on AXP. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $235.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of American Express from $229.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, HSBC upped their price target on shares of American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Four 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. According to MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.62.

About American Express

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.