Chapman Investment Management LLC Sells 399 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Chapman Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,935 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 399 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 3.7% of Chapman Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Chapman Investment Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $4,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Creative Planning lifted its stake in American Express by 4.4% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 128,850 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $19,223,000 after acquiring an additional 5,460 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its position in shares of American Express by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 5,350 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $798,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 222.5% during the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 163,709 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $24,424,000 after purchasing an additional 112,952 shares in the last quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $10,692,000. Finally, Invst LLC raised its stake in American Express by 5.9% in the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 8,975 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,339,000 after buying an additional 498 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE AXP traded down $0.28 on Thursday, reaching $238.65. 1,868,695 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,002,492. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $140.91 and a fifty-two week high of $244.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market cap of $171.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $234.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.46% and a net margin of 14.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.50.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,957,361.83. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other American Express news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider now directly owns 16,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,957,361.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Quinn Jessica Lieberman sold 3,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.36, for a total value of $729,842.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,948.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 177,717 shares of company stock valued at $41,680,999 in the last three months. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About American Express

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.