WoodTrust Financial Corp Sells 18,283 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

WoodTrust Financial Corp reduced its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 30.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,834 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 18,283 shares during the period. American Express makes up 1.6% of WoodTrust Financial Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in American Express were worth $13,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of American Express in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 210.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the second quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total transaction of $18,010,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 85,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,825,691.17. This trade represents a 36.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total transaction of $894,359.15. Following the sale, the insider owned 2,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $894,359.15. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 57,515 shares of company stock worth $20,658,509 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Monday. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. TD Cowen raised their price target on American Express from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $328.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $352.82.

American Express Stock Up 2.1%

AXP stock opened at $365.03 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $368.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $341.06. The stock has a market cap of $251.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $220.43 and a twelve month high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($15.41). The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 14.97%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 22.01%.

American Express Company Profile

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co‑brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.