Wall Street analysts expect American Express (NYSE:AXP) to report earnings per share (EPS) of $2.38 for the current quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Seventeen analysts have issued estimates for American Express’ earnings, with estimates ranging from $2.23 to $2.68. American Express posted earnings per share of $2.80 in the same quarter last year, which indicates a negative year-over-year growth rate of 15%. The company is expected to issue its next earnings report on Monday, January 1st.
On average, analysts expect that American Express will report full year earnings of $9.75 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $9.60 to $10.07. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the business will report earnings of $11.41 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $11.00 to $11.90. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of research analysts that follow American Express.
American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 22nd. The payment services company reported $2.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $11.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.66 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.35% and a net margin of 17.49%. The business’s revenue was up 29.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share.
Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on American Express from $218.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on American Express from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 25th. Wolfe Research downgraded American Express from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $213.00 to $146.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, April 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded American Express from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $192.26.
American Express stock traded down $2.73 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $165.96. The stock had a trading volume of 2,310,702 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,875,276. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market cap of $124.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.08. American Express has a 12 month low of $149.71 and a 12 month high of $199.55. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $172.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.98.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 10th. Investors of record on Friday, July 1st will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 30th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.84%.
In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 48,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.38, for a total transaction of $8,590,780.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,285 shares in the company, valued at $5,580,618.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Theodore Leonsis sold 4,005 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.63, for a total transaction of $667,353.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 849 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp raised its position in American Express by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 8,402 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in American Express by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,599 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,206,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in American Express by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 4,426 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 3,472 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $649,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.49% of the company’s stock.
About American Express (Get Rating)
American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services.
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