ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 321 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 180,094 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 321 shares during the period. American Express accounts for about 1.7% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $33,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Venture Visionary Partners LLC raised its position in American Express by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 23,211 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,349,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 417.3% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $77,876,000 after purchasing an additional 335,338 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. acquired a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,460,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in American Express by 1,313.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 768,769 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,440,210,000 after buying an additional 714,370 shares during the period. Finally, GYL Financial Synergies LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 1.0% in the third quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC now owns 23,987 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $3,579,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 84,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.98, for a total value of $17,979,771.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,248,905.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total value of $1,431,455.85. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares in the company, valued at $2,522,816.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 172,047 shares of company stock worth $36,528,388. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Up 6.2 %

AXP traded up $13.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $231.05. 7,572,385 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,134,884. The stock has a market capitalization of $167.25 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $231.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $220.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.01 by $0.32. American Express had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The firm had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Express will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $221.00 price target (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $235.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $214.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Express from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.62.

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.