Keel Point LLC Invests $207,000 in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Keel Point LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,106 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RB Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 5.3% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.4% in 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 during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in American Express by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,421 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted 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 valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the 1st quarter worth $397,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total value of $17,979,771.60. Following 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 available at the SEC website. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at $26,022,097.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total value of $17,979,771.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 57,512 shares in the company, valued at $12,248,905.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $235.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on American Express from $229.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. HSBC lifted their price objective on American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of American Express from $157.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.62.

American Express Price Performance

AXP opened at $217.62 on Thursday. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $231.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $219.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.58. The firm has a market cap of $157.53 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.07 EPS. American Express’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s 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.