O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Grows Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 77,290 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,058 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $22,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inkwell Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at $2,033,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 497,579 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $147,676,000 after acquiring an additional 91,541 shares during the period. RWA Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 27,854 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $8,267,000 after acquiring an additional 818 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,465,321 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $435,684,000 after purchasing an additional 154,810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz SE bought a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,042,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $265.16 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express has a 52-week low of $214.51 and a 52-week high of $326.28. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $295.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $289.68. The company has a market capitalization of $186.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. Research analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AXP. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their price target on American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of American Express from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $302.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total value of $4,765,295.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,492,492.04. The trade was a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is 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.