MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Boosts Stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 306.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,551 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,923 shares during the period. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in American Express were worth $581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 11,587 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,171,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 417.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $77,876,000 after acquiring an additional 335,338 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $2,460,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,806 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,837,000 after purchasing an additional 2,572 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $3,578,087.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,957,361.83. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Jennifer Skyler sold 14,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 117,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.44, for a total value of $27,267,303.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 110,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,642,315.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 177,717 shares of company stock worth $41,680,999 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of AXP opened at $235.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $169.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $216.79. American Express has a twelve month low of $140.91 and a twelve month high of $244.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly 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 company 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 firm’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that American Express will post 13 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AXP shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on American Express from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on American Express from $221.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.