Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $2.58 Million Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 13,778 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA increased its position in American Express by 134.8% in the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,248,905.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388 over the last ninety days. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on AXP shares. HSBC lifted their price target on American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on American Express from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $221.00 price target (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $209.52.

American Express Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE AXP traded down $1.44 on Thursday, reaching $237.68. The company had a trading volume of 1,527,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,173,280. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $221.62 and its 200-day moving average is $190.53. The stock has a market cap of $170.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.71, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. American Express has a 52 week low of $140.91 and a 52 week high of $240.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that American Express will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

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.