Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,368 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $256,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 9.2% during the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,415 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $808,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners boosted its holdings in American Express by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 1,927 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in American Express by 148.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 40,808 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $6,106,000 after acquiring an additional 24,360 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in American Express by 5.0% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 249,609 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $37,239,000 after purchasing an additional 11,913 shares during the period. Finally, RMR Wealth Builders lifted its position in shares of American Express by 142.7% during the third quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 4,904 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $732,000 after purchasing an additional 2,883 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 0.6 %

American Express stock opened at $237.50 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $223.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The company has a market cap of $170.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $240.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 12.99 EPS for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $221.00 price target (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $209.52.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 203,891 shares of company stock valued at $44,373,196 in the last three months. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.