WoodTrust Financial Corp Grows Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

WoodTrust Financial Corp boosted its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 41,332 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the period. American Express comprises 1.6% of WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in American Express were worth $11,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the first quarter valued at $375,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,221 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the first quarter valued at $212,000. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in American Express by 11.2% during the first quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 27,281 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $6,212,000 after purchasing an additional 2,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duality Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of American Express by 20.2% in the first quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 9,119 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,076,000 after acquiring an additional 1,531 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $295.12 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $267.52 and a 200-day moving average of $248.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.21. American Express has a 52-week low of $152.05 and a 52-week high of $296.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $16.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.68 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 15.32%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that American Express will post 13.41 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 20.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of American Express from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $268.00 to $286.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $253.09.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total transaction of $21,049,740.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 111,656 shares in the company, valued at $30,176,150.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total value of $21,049,740.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 111,656 shares in the company, valued at $30,176,150.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total value of $3,552,818.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 109,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,724,067.18. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express 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.