Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. Purchases 220 Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,389 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $5,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $411,000. Bank OZK bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $489,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $204,000. Alexander Randolph Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $776,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 68.0% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 430 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 0.6 %

AXP traded down $1.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $235.64. The company had a trading volume of 2,993,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,154,841. The company has a market capitalization of $169.50 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.23. American Express has a one year low of $140.91 and a one year high of $240.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $222.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.36. American Express had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 32.46%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.40 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Express will post 12.99 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AXP. StockNews.com raised shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 5th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, January 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $209.52.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,522,816.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other American Express news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total transaction of $2,342,945.22. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,891,480.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 7,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.65, for a total transaction of $1,431,455.85. Following the sale, 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. Insiders have sold 210,920 shares of company stock valued at $45,804,652 in the last three months. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.