Clifford Capital Partners LLC Sells 15,492 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Clifford Capital Partners LLC lessened its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 17.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,832 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 15,492 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 3.7% of Clifford Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Clifford Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $17,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 4,142 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $776,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in American Express by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,431 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $643,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in American Express by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 476,556 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $89,278,000 after buying an additional 12,635 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $504,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE AXP opened at $268.53 on Wednesday. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $272.68. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $252.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.66.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.23. American Express had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 32.94%. The business had revenue of $16.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Express will post 13.13 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research assumed coverage on American Express in a report on Friday, June 7th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on American Express from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of American Express from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on American Express in a research note on Monday, June 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.43.

About American Express

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.