J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. Has $47.27 Million Stock Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. reduced its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,272 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 809 shares during the period. American Express accounts for approximately 4.4% of J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $47,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. boosted its holdings in American Express by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. now owns 12,267 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $3,641,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the period. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 470.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC now owns 179,359 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $53,232,000 after purchasing an additional 147,929 shares during the period. Renasant Bank bought a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $603,000. Finally, Impact Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $488,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Express Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $266.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $186.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express has a 1 year low of $214.51 and a 1 year high of $326.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $301.59 and its 200-day moving average is $287.97.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Raymond Joabar sold 15,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.94, for a total transaction of $4,765,295.26. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,492.04. This trade represents a 38.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of American Express from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.24.

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.