Diversified Trust Co Has $14.08 Million Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Diversified Trust Co reduced its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 13.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,825 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 9,419 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in American Express were worth $14,077,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 134.8% in the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 155 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Quinn Jessica Lieberman sold 3,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,948.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 177,717 shares of company stock valued at $41,680,999 in the last ninety days. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Stock Up 0.7 %

AXP stock traded up $1.66 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $233.21. 853,488 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,039,367. 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 $167.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $234.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.40. American Express has a 1-year low of $140.91 and a 1-year high of $244.41.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.79 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 5th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, June 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of American Express from $167.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $220.30.

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.