Skopos Labs Inc. Makes New Investment in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Skopos Labs Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,896 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 2.3% during the third quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 20,711 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $3,090,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 454,303 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $67,777,000 after purchasing an additional 4,468 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 3.6% during the third quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 34,111 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $5,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 7.1% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 10,978 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,638,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the period. Finally, Donoghue Forlines LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at $706,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of AXP traded up $2.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $238.18. 1,624,528 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,698,561. American Express has a 1-year low of $140.91 and a 1-year high of $244.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The company has a market capitalization of $171.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a 50 day moving average of $230.50 and a 200 day moving average of $203.92.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.01 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 5th will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $3,578,087.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,957,361.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on American Express from $221.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $221.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Four equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $210.71.

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.