HHM Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 170 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,486 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 170 shares during the quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $278,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AXP. Convergence Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter worth $246,000. Intellectus Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 8,396 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,573,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,047,000. Principle Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,274 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,550,000 after acquiring an additional 1,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PGGM Investments lifted its holdings in American Express by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 34,647 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $6,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock traded down $1.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $235.64. 2,993,335 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,154,841. American Express has a 1-year low of $140.91 and a 1-year high of $240.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $222.57 and a 200 day moving average of $191.74. The company has a market capitalization of $169.50 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,022,097.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 210,920 shares of company stock worth $45,804,652 in the last quarter. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.