New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Increases Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 116,177.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 51,162 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,118 shares during the period. American Express comprises about 0.6% of New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $15,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 332.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 108 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $272.15 on Friday. American Express has a one year low of $214.51 and a one year high of $326.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $191.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.43, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $295.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $289.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. On average, analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. HSBC increased their price objective on American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on American Express from $301.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Baird R W raised shares of American Express from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Compass Point reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $325.00 to $309.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $302.57.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, Director Michael J. Angelakis purchased 3,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,308,795. This represents a 41.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express 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.