Verity & Verity LLC Increases Position in American Express Company $AXP

Verity & Verity LLC lifted its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 71.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,187 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares during the quarter. Verity & Verity LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trajan Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 24,901 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $8,271,000 after buying an additional 5,881 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 218.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,540 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,837,000 after purchasing an additional 5,860 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,863 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $27,524,000 after purchasing an additional 8,651 shares in the last quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 1,243.9% in the 3rd quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,576,000 after purchasing an additional 12,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of American Express by 159.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 31,611 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $10,500,000 after buying an additional 19,429 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $316.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.56. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $286.15 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $312.81 and its 200 day moving average is $338.90.

American Express (NYSE:AXPGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $359.05.

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About American Express

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AXP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Express Company (NYSE:AXPFree Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for American Express (NYSE:AXP)

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