Blueprint Investment Partners LLC Grows Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

Blueprint Investment Partners LLC raised its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 122.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,860 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 1,572 shares during the period. Blueprint Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $849,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in American Express during the third quarter valued at about $1,175,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in American Express by 2.7% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 41,652 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $11,296,000 after buying an additional 1,098 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its position in American Express by 30.6% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,049 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,027,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651 shares during the period. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the third quarter valued at about $254,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE AXP opened at $270.48 on Friday. American Express has a 52-week low of $214.51 and a 52-week high of $326.28. The company has a fifty day moving average of $298.30 and a 200-day moving average of $288.55. The company has a market capitalization of $190.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.21. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The payment services company reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.04. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. 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 of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AXP. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $270.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BTIG Research upped their price target on American Express from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $326.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $303.52.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, Director Michael J. Angelakis acquired 3,700 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $998,593. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,866 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,492.04. This represents a 38.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.