Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH Acquires 205 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH increased its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,182 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. American Express makes up 2.1% of Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH’s holdings in American Express were worth $5,280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AXP. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,349,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 417.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $77,876,000 after acquiring an additional 335,338 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,460,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,806 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,837,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 1,313.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 768,769 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,440,210,000 after purchasing an additional 714,370 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $221.00 price target (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Stephens raised American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Express from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.52.

American Express Trading Down 0.6 %

American Express stock traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $235.64. The stock had a trading volume of 2,993,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,154,841. The stock has a market cap of $169.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $222.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.45. 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 one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $240.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.40 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that American Express will post 12.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 210,920 shares of company stock valued at $45,804,652 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.