American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel cut its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 22.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,622 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 14,861 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in American Express were worth $14,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its stake in American Express by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 4,019 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 129.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 21,787 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $5,909,000 after purchasing an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. Willner & Heller LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. Willner & Heller LLC now owns 1,283 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 33.0% during the 3rd quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,170 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $860,000 after purchasing an additional 786 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AXP. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of American Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $239.96.

American Express Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $276.16 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $256.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $242.17. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $277.11.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $16.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 32.94%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. Analysts predict that American Express will post 13.14 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.06%.

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.