Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 2,709 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,581 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,709 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for approximately 1.1% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $16,496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Umpqua Bank increased its stake in American Express by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,284 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $68,000. Sfmg LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $363,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in American Express by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,123,961 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $333,580,000 after acquiring an additional 136,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plancorp LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 3,830 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,137,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total value of $3,027,327.45. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis acquired 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $998,593. The trade was a ? increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of AXP opened at $270.48 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $298.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $288.31. American Express has a twelve month low of $214.51 and a twelve month high of $326.28. The stock has a market cap of $190.02 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. 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 (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 1.21%. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $303.52.

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.