Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Purchases New Shares in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO acquired a new position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 881 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $201,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,112,747,000. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of American Express by 62.1% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,399,494 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $449,521,000 after acquiring an additional 919,337 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 1,313.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 768,769 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,440,210,000 after acquiring an additional 714,370 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in American Express by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,839,276 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $713,202,000 after acquiring an additional 667,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in American Express by 969.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 602,726 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $112,910,000 after purchasing an additional 546,389 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AXP traded up $3.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $231.55. 3,901,233 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,820,091. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $234.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $216.11. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $244.41. The company has a market cap of $166.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Quinn Jessica Lieberman sold 3,141 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,948.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Express from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on American Express from $253.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $220.30.

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.