<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in  American Express (NYSE:AXP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  bought 4,877 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $1,447,000.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>American Express</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>Buffett's Top 5 Stock Holdings Ahead of Next 13F Filing</li></ul><p>Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AXP. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in shares of  American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000.  Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of  American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000.  Murphy &amp; Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of  American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000.  Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of  American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000.  Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of  American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><p>Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo &amp; Company upped their target price on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Express from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America upgraded shares of American Express from a &#34;neutral&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $325.00 to $274.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One research analyst  has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned  a hold rating and eight have issued  a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $296.05.</p><ul><li>American Express: Affluent Customers Don’t Leave Home Without It </li></ul><p><b>Get Our Latest Analysis on AXP</b></p><h2>American Express Trading Down 0.6%</h2><p>American Express stock opened at $285.32 on Friday. 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 has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $326.28. The firm's 50-day moving average is $269.05 and its 200-day moving average is $288.60. The company has a market cap of $199.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.23. </p><ul><li>American Express Is a Stock You Want to Own in 2025</li></ul><p>American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.33 EPS.  On average, equities analysts expect that  American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year. </p><h2>American Express Increases Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend  was Friday, April 4th. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.91%. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total value of $2,603,475.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $269.89 per share, for a total transaction of $998,593.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,700 shares in the company, valued at $998,593. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own  0.20% of the company's stock. </p><h2>About American Express</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than American Express</li><li>Stock Sentiment Analysis: How it Works</li><li>Trade Desk Silences Critics; Recovery Looks Poised to Continue</li><li>ETF Screener: Uses and Step-by-Step Guide </li><li>Booz Allen Hamilton Earnings: 3 Bullish Signals for BAH Stock</li><li>Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) What You Need to Know </li><li>These ETFs Provide Easy Exposure to Growing International Markets</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AXP?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Express (NYSE:AXP - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUFYUA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUFYUA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in American Express Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider American Express, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and American Express wasn't on the list.</p><p>While American Express currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

HALL

<p>Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP) during the 4th quarter, purchasing 4,877 shares valued at approximately $1.45 million. Other institutional investors also increased their positions in AXP. Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.05. American Express recently reported earnings of $3.64 per share, exceeding estimates, and announced a dividend increase to $0.82 per share, reflecting a 1.15% yield.</p>

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. Takes Position in American Express (NYSE:AXP)