Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. Sells 150 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,174 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,426,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in American Express during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 332.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $309.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $306.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $280.80. American Express has a twelve month low of $207.61 and a twelve month high of $326.27. The company has a market capitalization of $218.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. Research analysts expect that American Express will post 15.32 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s payout ratio is 19.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AXP. Compass Point reduced their target price on American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. HSBC raised their price target on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $296.38.

Insider Activity at American Express

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

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.