Blue Trust Inc. Buys 2,502 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

by · The Markets Daily

Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 46.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,897 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,502 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AXP. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Express by 62.5% during the 1st quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. increased its stake in shares of American Express by 42.2% in the second quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in American Express during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AXP shares. BTIG Research lowered American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $230.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of American Express from $226.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of American Express from $223.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on American Express from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $242.33.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on AXP

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $276.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.21. American Express has a 1 year low of $140.91 and a 1 year high of $286.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $261.27 and a 200-day moving average of $243.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.22. American Express had a return on equity of 32.94% and a net margin of 15.53%. The company had revenue of $16.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

About American Express

(Free Report)

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.

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