Axa S.A. Sells 12,869 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Axa S.A. lessened its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 854,927 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 12,869 shares during the period. Axa S.A. owned 0.12% of American Express worth $197,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on AXP shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on American Express from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of American Express from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on shares of American Express from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on American Express in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $230.78.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $266.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $189.45 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.21. American Express has a 12-month low of $140.91 and a 12-month high of $272.41. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $249.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.85.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that American Express will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.