Avitas Wealth Management LLC Buys 207 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Avitas Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,283 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for 1.2% of Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $8,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lifted its position in American Express by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 25,970 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $7,708,000 after buying an additional 2,570 shares in the last quarter. James J. Burns & Company LLC lifted its position in American Express by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. James J. Burns & Company LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Welch Group LLC lifted its position in American Express by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 18,823 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $5,597,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Longboard Asset Management LP bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $255,000. Finally, Calamos Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 53,286 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $15,815,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AXP. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of American Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.38.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $315.97 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $305.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.21. American Express has a 12-month low of $203.42 and a 12-month high of $326.27. The firm has a market cap of $222.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.55, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 15.3 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.99%.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total transaction of $1,820,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. The trade was a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Express 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.