National Bank of Canada FI Has $156.85 Million Stock Holdings in American Express (NYSE:AXP)

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 66.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 832,949 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 333,609 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.12% of American Express worth $156,846,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $210,540,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 1,313.2% in the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 714,370 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter worth about $73,906,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 636.7% in the 3rd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 442,307 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $65,988,000 after purchasing an additional 382,272 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 417.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 415,696 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $77,876,000 after purchasing an additional 335,338 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of AXP stock traded down $1.73 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $230.77. 3,203,304 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,577,762. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $224.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $194.30. American Express has a 1-year low of $140.91 and a 1-year high of $240.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The company has a market cap of $165.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.20.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The payment services company reported $3.33 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.40 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Express will post 12.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total transaction of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at $18,209,855.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Monique Herena sold 11,242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.41, for a total value of $2,342,945.22. Following the completion of 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.63, for a total value of $9,276,263.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 76,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,209,855.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 203,891 shares of company stock worth $44,373,196. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on AXP shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $221.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of American Express from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $188.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $210.71.

About American Express

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.