American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 669,541 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 57,036 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.10% of American Express worth $181,579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. grew its holdings in American Express by 42.2% in the second quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 0.5 %

American Express stock opened at $286.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $202.09 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $157.97 and a fifty-two week high of $296.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $272.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $251.09.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $16.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that American Express will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 20.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total value of $21,049,740.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 111,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,176,150.56. This represents a 41.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total transaction of $3,552,818.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 109,691 shares in the company, valued at $29,724,067.18. This represents a 10.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research cut shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $230.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price objective on American Express from $265.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, HSBC lowered American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Four 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, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $253.09.

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.