Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Acquires 4,468 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,992 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,468 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up 1.4% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $38,275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 2.8% in the second quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. DLK Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 3.8% during the second quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 869 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its stake in American Express by 4.7% during the first quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 772 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Express by 0.7% in the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,921 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Greenfield Savings Bank boosted its position in American Express by 0.3% during the second quarter. Greenfield Savings Bank now owns 13,116 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,184,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of AXP stock opened at $351.68 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.29. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $328.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.16. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $357.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.69.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.16. American Express had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 14.97%.The company had revenue of $18.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AXP. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on American Express from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on American Express from $330.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. DZ Bank upgraded American Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $340.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $332.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 16,998 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.83, for a total transaction of $5,011,520.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,653,764.83. This trade represents a 65.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total value of $15,475,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,191.50. The trade was a 82.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 269,996 shares of company stock worth $85,261,270 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.20% 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.