Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Lowers Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. reduced its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 48.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,238 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,096 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings in American Express were worth $664,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $1,143,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 612 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $182,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Selway Asset Management raised its stake in American Express by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Selway Asset Management now owns 18,272 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $5,423,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Spahn Wealth & Retirement LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $445,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Express by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,699 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,033,000 after buying an additional 1,697 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Compass Point lowered their price objective on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Argus lowered American Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $302.24.

American Express Trading Down 5.8 %

AXP opened at $233.50 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16. American Express has a one year low of $214.51 and a one year high of $326.28. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $288.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $289.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. Analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.41%.

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.