Ameriprise Stock Is Up Just 5% in a Year. Its CFO Just Sold Above $548
2026-07-31 01:23
•Jonathan Ponciano •The Motley Fool
•••• • Axe Cap view
Ameriprise CFO Sells on Weak Share Gains: What SA Investors Should Note
A routine CFO stock sale at Ameriprise highlights a modest 5% return over the year, with strong fundamentals cushioning the outlook.
Ameriprise Financial’s CFO selling shares near a 52-week high caught some attention, but insiders often exercise options for liquidity reasons rather than signaling trouble. The stock’s 5% rise in a year shows modest market enthusiasm, but the firm’s healthy revenue growth and strong capital returns—over 90% of earnings paid back to shareholders—show disciplined cash management. South African investors tracking USD/ZAR should note that the rand’s recent stability may give some currency comfort, but with no direct JSE link, the appeal is limited. The real takeaway is how wealth managers balance steady income with share buybacks. If South African banks like Standard Bank or Nedbank demonstrated similar capital discipline, they might attract similar investor respect. Watch out, though—rising US interest rates or a sudden rand slump could make such earnings less attractive for local investors. this is just our opinion and not financial advice
Given the weak share price growth despite solid fundamentals, I would watch Ameriprise and hold off buying. Closer to home, consider banks with strong capital returns like Nedbank. Avoid chasing weak-performing foreign counters until the rand settles.
- AMP
- USD/ZAR
- Nedbank
- Rising US interest rates reducing wealth managers’ appeal
- Rand depreciation impacting foreign investment returns
5/10
Ameriprise Financial's CFO Walter Stanley Berman sold 34,111 shares worth $18.8 million at $550.21 per share. While the stock has gained only 5% over the past year, the article notes this is a routine option exercise near a 52-week high and not a red flag. The company demonstrates strong fundamentals with $18.9 billion in TTM revenue, $3.9 billion in net income, and returned $932 million to shareholders last quarter (91% of operating earnings), while maintaining $2.1 billion in excess capital.
Our take is based on reporting first published by The Motley Fool.