WoodTrust Financial Corp Sells 663 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

WoodTrust Financial Corp reduced its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,232 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 663 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 1.0% of WoodTrust Financial Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in American Express were worth $9,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 62.5% during the first quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock traded up $3.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $231.55. The stock had a trading volume of 3,901,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,820,091. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $234.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.79. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $244.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $166.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.62.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that American Express will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 5th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Express from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on American Express from $253.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.30.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 3,592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.93, for a total value of $829,500.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,602,896.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Quinn Jessica Lieberman sold 3,141 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.36, for a total value of $729,842.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 258 shares in the company, valued at $59,948.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 3,592 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.93, for a total value of $829,500.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 19,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,602,896.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.