American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Acquired by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 100,863 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in American Express were worth $29,935,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. MONECO Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $616,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,756 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,275 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,346,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377 shares during the period. Finally, Redmond Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth $372,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $295.23 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $307.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $284.65. American Express has a twelve month low of $212.48 and a twelve month high of $326.27. The company has a market capitalization of $207.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.24.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. As a group, research analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,952,286.84. This trade represents a 48.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,664 shares of company stock valued at $9,613,503 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AXP. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Compass Point reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.38.

American Express Company 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.