American Express (NYSE:AXP) Shares Bought by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 12.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,658 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth about $29,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. increased its position in shares of American Express by 42.2% in the second quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Up 2.8 %

NYSE:AXP opened at $301.30 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $276.08 and its 200-day moving average is $253.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. American Express has a 12 month low of $163.32 and a 12 month high of $301.92. The firm has a market cap of $212.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.21.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.22. American Express had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The firm had revenue of $16.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.30 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.4 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. American Express’s payout ratio is 20.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded American Express from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $268.00 to $286.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. BTIG Research downgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $230.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Hsbc Global Res lowered American Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on American Express from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $253.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, insider Anre D. Williams sold 77,887 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.26, for a total value of $21,049,740.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 111,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,176,150.56. This trade represents a 41.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 13,111 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.98, for a total value of $3,552,818.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 109,691 shares in the company, valued at $29,724,067.18. This represents a 10.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.