Brookstone Capital Management Purchases 3,471 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Brookstone Capital Management lifted its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 6.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,829 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 3,471 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in American Express were worth $19,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AXP. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 141.7% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,095 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 64.0% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,659 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $985,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 17.4% in the first quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, Quadcap Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 940 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Denise Pickett sold 5,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.73, for a total transaction of $1,753,650.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,726 shares in the company, valued at $2,709,739.98. The trade was a 39.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total value of $894,359.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $894,359.15. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 57,515 shares of company stock worth $20,658,509 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:AXP opened at $382.75 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $363.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $333.00. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $220.43 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The stock has a market cap of $263.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AXP shares. BTIG Research lifted their price target on American Express from $277.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $336.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $335.55.

American Express Profile

American Express is a global financial services company primarily known for its payment card products, travel services and merchant network. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company evolved through the 20th century into a payments and travel-focused organization. Its core activities include issuing consumer and commercial charge and credit cards, operating a global card acceptance and processing network, and providing travel-related services and customer loyalty programs.

American Express issues a range of products for individuals, small businesses and large corporations, including personal cards, business and corporate cards, and co‑brand partnerships with airlines, hotels and retailers.