Montag A & Associates Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Montag A & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 18,060 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 1,737 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $6,681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Alliance Wealth Strategies LLC d b a Brown Edwards Wealth Strategies purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $338,000. Souders Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of American Express by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 5,850 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,164,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Edge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,181,000. CX Institutional lifted its position in shares of American Express by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. CX Institutional now owns 35,565 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $13,157,000 after buying an additional 1,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balentine LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 1,762 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $357.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. This trade represents a 62.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. The trade was a 57.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $319.74 on Friday. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $273.10 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $311.71 and its 200 day moving average is $344.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a market cap of $218.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.64 EPS. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

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.