American Express Company $AXP Shares Purchased by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,141 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 3,378 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up approximately 0.5% of Ethic Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $30,758,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ballast Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 121.6% during the fourth quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 2,854 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,056,000 after acquiring an additional 1,566 shares during the last quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 21,294 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $7,878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,802 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,681 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,362,000 after acquiring an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners increased its position in shares of American Express by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 1,413 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR raised its stake in American Express by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 63,184 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $23,375,000 after purchasing an additional 5,869 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $315.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $311.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $344.05. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $281.46 and a 12-month high of $387.49. The stock has a market cap of $215.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.64 EPS. American Express’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.95 dividend. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore set a $345.00 price objective on American Express in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $357.47.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

Here are the key news stories impacting American Express this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett publicly praised Greg Abel, reinforcing the market’s view that Berkshire’s leadership remains constructive on high-quality financial names like American Express. Warren Buffett: “I’d rather have Greg handling my money than any of the top investment advisors or any of the top CEOs of the United States.”
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted American Express as a Berkshire favorite and one of Buffett’s best value ideas for 2026, which can support sentiment around AXP as a durable, cash-generating franchise. American Express (AXP) – Among the 10 Best Value Stocks to Buy in 2026 According to Warren Buffett
• Positive Sentiment: American Express’ move to sell its remaining stake in American Express Global Business Travel for about $1.5 billion was described as helping the company refocus on its core card business, which investors often view favorably. American Express Exit From GBT Refocuses Capital On Core Card Engine
• Positive Sentiment: American Express also launched an AI upskilling initiative for small businesses, a potentially positive long-term move that could deepen customer relationships and strengthen its small-business ecosystem. American Express Uses AI Upskilling To Deepen Small Business Relationships
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders reaffirmed the board, executive pay, and auditor at the annual meeting, removing a potential governance overhang but likely not a major near-term stock catalyst. American Express Shareholders Reaffirm Board, Pay and Auditor
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing AXP with other value stocks or peers are generally informational and do not appear to be driving the move on their own. INTR vs. AXP: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,270,704.09. This represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

American Express Company 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.