Financial Security Advisor Inc. Sells 90 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Financial Security Advisor Inc. reduced its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,836 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. American Express comprises approximately 0.8% of Financial Security Advisor Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Financial Security Advisor Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AXP. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA raised its stake in shares of American Express by 134.8% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXP has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.30.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $3,578,087.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,957,361.83. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:AXP traded up $2.16 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $235.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,861,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,046,119. The company has a market capitalization of $169.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.79. American Express has a 52 week low of $140.91 and a 52 week high of $244.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.62.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 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 firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.40 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.06%.

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.