American Express (NYSE:AXP) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-six research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $230.78.

A number of research analysts have commented on AXP shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on American Express from $240.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Citigroup initiated coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday, June 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on American Express from $221.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $267.29 on Tuesday. American Express has a 12 month low of $140.91 and a 12 month high of $272.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $249.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $237.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $16.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.94% and a net margin of 15.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 13.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 62.5% during the first quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 130 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Company 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.