Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Lowers Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lessened its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 19.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,035 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 491 shares during the quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in American Express were worth $649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AXP. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 1 North Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the first quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $346.45 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $325.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $302.28. The company has a market cap of $241.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.61. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $349.19.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $18.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.87% and a net margin of 14.78%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.49 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. HSBC set a $295.00 price objective on American Express and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $327.00 target price (up previously from $300.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on American Express from $311.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $323.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.50, for a total value of $15,475,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,391,191.50. This represents a 82.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster sold 23,505 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.37, for a total value of $7,671,326.85. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 123,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,343,574.81. This trade represents a 15.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 269,996 shares of company stock worth $85,261,270. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company 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.