Trueblood Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Trueblood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,914 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA increased its stake in American Express by 134.8% in the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $227.69. 2,274,928 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,159,509. American Express has a 1-year low of $140.91 and a 1-year high of $231.69. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $211.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The payment services company reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by ($0.02). American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AXP. Stephens raised shares of American Express from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 8th. DZ Bank lowered shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Monness Crespi & Hardt assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of American Express from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $191.84.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total value of $17,979,771.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,512 shares in the company, valued at $12,248,905.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was 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 $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388 over the last ninety days. 0.12% of the stock is currently 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.