Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd Sells 8,714 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd cut its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,564,029 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 8,714 shares during the quarter. American Express comprises approximately 11.0% of Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd owned about 0.49% of American Express worth $667,685,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. RB Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,783 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Roundview Capital LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 27,029 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $5,054,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its position in American Express by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,421 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of American Express by 207.1% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 946 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the first quarter valued at approximately $397,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. DZ Bank lowered shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on American Express in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $235.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC boosted their target price on American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $148.00 to $193.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.62.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at $26,022,097.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related 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 transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at $26,022,097.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock traded down $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $218.34. 4,176,672 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,307,256. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $231.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $219.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.64 by ($0.02). American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The firm 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 firm posted $2.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that American Express will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

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

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.