Sapient Capital LLC Sells 112 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its holdings in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 4.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,318 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 112 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $237.05. The stock had a trading volume of 844,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,017,247. The company’s 50-day moving average is $236.26 and its 200 day moving average is $228.15. American Express has a 12-month low of $140.91 and a 12-month high of $256.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $170.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.21.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.23. American Express had a return on equity of 32.94% and a net margin of 15.53%. The firm had revenue of $16.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that American Express will post 13.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the topic of several research reports. 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. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on American Express from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on American Express from $221.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.70.

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.