Delos Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 200 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Venture Visionary Partners LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Express by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 11,587 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,171,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 417.3% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $77,876,000 after purchasing an additional 335,338 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,460,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,806 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,837,000 after buying an additional 2,572 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:AXP traded up $2.90 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $239.14. 3,161,222 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,180,305. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.20. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $240.55. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $225.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $196.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 EPS. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 5th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on AXP shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Express from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $210.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, EVP Quinn Jessica Lieberman sold 3,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.36, for a total transaction of $729,842.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,948.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 69,356 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.02, for a total transaction of $14,774,215.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 122,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,022,097.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Quinn Jessica Lieberman sold 3,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.36, for a total value of $729,842.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 258 shares in the company, valued at $59,948.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 316,691 shares of company stock valued at $70,856,898. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Company 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.