World Investment Advisors Boosts Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

World Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 27.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,057 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,292 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in American Express were worth $1,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AXP. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on American Express from $301.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on American Express from $350.00 to $343.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $326.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $302.24.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction 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. The trade was 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, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 5.8 %

American Express stock opened at $233.50 on Friday. American Express has a 1 year low of $214.51 and a 1 year high of $326.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $288.96 and its 200-day moving average is $289.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company has a market cap of $164.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.41%.

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.