American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Sold by Conscious Wealth Investments LLC

Conscious Wealth Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,548 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 223 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 3.1% of Conscious Wealth Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $4,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of American Express by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 79,497 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $21,548,000 after purchasing an additional 5,245 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.2% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 7,292 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,978,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 16.6% in the third quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 1,718 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 9.3% during the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 12,081 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $3,276,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC increased its position in American Express by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC now owns 2,909 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $789,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Stock Down 2.8 %

NYSE:AXP opened at $295.23 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $307.54 and a 200-day moving average of $285.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.24. American Express has a 52 week low of $212.48 and a 52 week high of $326.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

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

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. HSBC boosted their price target on American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their target price on American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Caillec Christophe Le sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.48, for a total value of $1,820,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,952,286.84. This represents a 48.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,664 shares of company stock worth $9,613,503. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.