<div id="readability-page-1"><p>ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in shares of  American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 165,043 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 2,828 shares during the period. American Express makes up  approximately  1.9% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $54,821,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>American Express</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>This ETF Caught a Major Tailwind After the Fed’s Rate Cut</li></ul><p>A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in  American Express during the second quarter worth $26,000.  Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of  American Express during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000.  Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of  American Express during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000.  Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in  American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000.  Finally, Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in  American Express in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In other American Express news, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total transaction of $18,010,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 85,577 shares in the company, valued at $30,825,691.17. The trade was a 36.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total transaction of $894,359.15. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,515 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $894,359.15. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 57,515 shares of company stock worth $20,658,509 over the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><ul><li>Is American Express the Credit Stock For a K-Shaped Economy?</li></ul><p>AXP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley  set a $370.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $371.00 to $394.00 and gave the stock an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Compass Point  reissued a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and issued a $324.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Wells Fargo &amp; Company upped their price target on American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. lifted their price objective on American Express from $343.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Eight equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock  has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average price target of $335.55.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on AXP</b></p><h2>American Express Stock Up 0.1%</h2><ul><li>As Warren Buffett Nears His Exit, Berkshire's Amassed Record Cash</li></ul><p>Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $382.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $263.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.69, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.14. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $363.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $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. </p><p>American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported ($11.85) EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter. American Express had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 14.97%. As a group, equities analysts predict that  American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>American Express Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.01%. </p><h2>About American Express</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Read More</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than American Express</li><li>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>INVESTOR ALERT: Tiny “$3 AI Wonder Stock” on the Verge of Blasting Off</li><li>Can Any Expenses Be Deducted From Capital Gains Tax?</li><li>Buffett, Gates and Bezos Quietly Dumping Stocks—Here's Why</li><li>Forget AI, This Will Be the Next Big Tech Breakthrough</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 Company (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 reporting and unbiased coverage. 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>

<p>ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in American Express by 1.7% in Q3, now holding 165,043 shares valued at $54.8 million. Insider trading saw CMO Elizabeth Rutledge and another insider sell shares. Analysts have mixed ratings on AXP, with a consensus "Hold" and an average price target of $335.55. AXP shares opened at $382.75, with a market cap of $263.66 billion.</p>

American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.