American Express (NYSE:AXP) Price Target Raised to $260.00 at Monness Crespi & Hardt

American Express (NYSE:AXP) had its target price upped by investment analysts at Monness Crespi & Hardt from $250.00 to $260.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the payment services company’s stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt’s target price points to a potential upside of 4.15% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on AXP. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on American Express from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. Citigroup began coverage on American Express in a report on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $227.65.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock opened at $249.63 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $249.76. The firm has a market cap of $179.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $235.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.95.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that American Express will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 117,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.44, for a total transaction of $27,267,303.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 110,318 shares in the company, valued at $25,642,315.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other American Express news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $3,578,087.46. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,957,361.83. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 117,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.44, for a total value of $27,267,303.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 110,318 shares in the company, valued at $25,642,315.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.