Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 2.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,742 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $17,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in American Express during the second quarter valued at approximately $400,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in American Express by 2.7% during the second quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 22,396 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $5,186,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in American Express by 1.6% in the second quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 11,082 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,566,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,516,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AXP shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on American Express from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on American Express from $240.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Compass Point started coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.70.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $259.00 on Monday. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $261.75. The company has a market capitalization of $186.30 billion, a PE ratio of 21.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $246.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.66.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.23. American Express had a return on equity of 32.94% and a net margin of 15.53%. The firm had revenue of $16.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Express will post 13.12 earnings per share for the current year.

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.