American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,214 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 1,993 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $5,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,490 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 5,244 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,584 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co grew its holdings in American Express by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 4,894 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $917,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,786 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,646,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of American Express stock traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $230.77. 3,203,304 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,577,762. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The business has a 50-day moving average of $224.63 and a 200-day moving average of $194.88. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $240.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.20.

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

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AXP. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $221.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $210.71.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares in the company, valued at $2,891,480.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other American Express news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total value of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 122,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,022,097.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,891,480.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 203,891 shares of company stock valued at $44,373,196. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.