American Express (NYSE:AXP) Sets New 1-Year Low at $134.33

American Express (NYSE:AXP)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $134.33 and last traded at $135.04, with a volume of 41934 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $139.47.

Several analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on American Express from $187.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on American Express from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird raised American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, June 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on American Express from $218.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a “buy” rating and set a $212.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $194.17.

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 moving average of $158.90 and a 200-day moving average of $171.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 22nd. The payment services company reported $2.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.30. American Express had a return on equity of 33.35% and a net margin of 17.49%. The business had revenue of $11.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 29.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Express will post 9.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company 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 dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. 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, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 48,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Theodore Leonsis sold 4,005 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.63, for a total value of $667,353.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 41.4% during the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 7,065 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,184,000 after purchasing an additional 2,070 shares in the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 3,272 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS raised its stake in shares of American Express by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 110,432 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $18,067,000 after purchasing an additional 4,558 shares in the last quarter. Stonnington Group LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 203.8% during the 4th quarter. Stonnington Group LLC now owns 56,222 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $9,860,000 after purchasing an additional 37,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of American Express by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,114 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $835,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.49% of the company’s stock.

About American Express (NYSE:AXP)

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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