American Express (NYSE:AXP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have assigned a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $192.26.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of American Express from $218.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 28th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of American Express from $204.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 17th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $190.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, April 26th.

AXP stock opened at $169.60 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. American Express has a twelve month low of $149.71 and a twelve month high of $199.55. The company’s 50 day moving average is $175.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.64. The stock has a market cap of $127.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.99, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 22nd. The payment services company reported $2.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $11.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.66 billion. American Express had a net margin of 17.49% and a return on equity of 33.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 9.79 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 30th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.84%.

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 48,160 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 28th. The stock was 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 approximately $5,580,618.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in American Express by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,916,986 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,638,584,000 after buying an additional 622,891 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 1,554 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in American Express by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in American Express by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 150,372 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $25,191,000 after buying an additional 4,693 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 71.7% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,514 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 632 shares during the period. 85.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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