American Express (NYSE:AXP) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

American Express (NYSE:AXP) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $194.17.

Several analysts recently commented on AXP shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $187.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 26th. Oppenheimer reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $212.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, June 10th. Edward Jones raised shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 6th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of American Express from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $213.00 to $146.00 in a report on Thursday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of American Express from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, April 11th.

Shares of AXP stock opened at $144.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $109.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.15. American Express has a 52 week low of $136.49 and a 52 week high of $199.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 22nd. The payment services company reported $2.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $11.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.66 billion. American Express had a net margin of 17.49% and a return on equity of 33.35%. American Express’s revenue was up 29.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 9.76 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 1st will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 30th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.84%.

In other American Express news, Director Theodore Leonsis sold 4,005 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.63, for a total value of $667,353.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 48,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.38, for a total transaction of $8,590,780.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 31,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,580,618.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXP. SBK Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 873.3% during the first quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co bought a new position in American Express during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 823.5% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.49% of the company’s stock.

American Express Company Profile (Get Rating)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services.

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