American Express (NYSE:AXP) Stake Reduced by Sierra Capital LLC

Sierra Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,863 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Sierra Capital LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $364,000. Edge Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 6,451 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. GHE LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. GHE LLC now owns 17,021 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,616,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in American Express by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,830,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in American Express by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 786,422 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $233,512,000 after buying an additional 15,038 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at $4,308,795. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,664 shares of company stock valued at $9,613,503. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.38.

American Express Price Performance

NYSE AXP opened at $295.16 on Tuesday. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $213.25 and a fifty-two week high of $326.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $307.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $285.47. The firm has a market cap of $207.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 19.99%.

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.