Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Acquires 70 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas grew its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 8.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 944 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ holdings in American Express were worth $256,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 62.5% in the 1st quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in American Express in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $276.16 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The company has a market capitalization of $198.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $256.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $242.17. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $277.11.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.23. American Express had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 32.94%. The firm had revenue of $16.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.14 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of American Express from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $268.00 to $286.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays boosted 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 note on Tuesday, October 8th. Compass Point started coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut shares of American Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Four investment 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $241.42.

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.