WD Rutherford LLC Makes New $2.29 Million Investment in American Express Company $AXP

WD Rutherford LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,553 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,285,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AXP. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,532 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,371,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its position in American Express by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 9,892 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,992,000 after acquiring an additional 1,110 shares during the last quarter. TKG Advisors LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. TKG Advisors LLC now owns 18,271 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $5,527,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. raised its position in American Express by 0.5% in the first quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 10,195 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $3,084,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cane Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in American Express in the first quarter valued at about $1,557,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded American Express from neutral to strong-buy, which likely boosted investor confidence in the stock’s outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: American Express and Resy, with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, launched a new Restaurant Academy to train restaurant leaders, reinforcing the company’s brand relationships in dining and hospitality. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: American Express expanded its Membership Rewards usefulness by letting U.S. cardholders redeem points through Apple Pay, a move that could improve cardholder engagement and loyalty. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted American Express’s growth, resilience, and long-term appeal, including commentary that the company remains one of Warren Buffett’s oldest stock picks, helping reinforce a premium valuation narrative. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A fast-company article said Amex wants to help the restaurant industry solve management problems, but it read more like a brand/industry profile than a direct earnings or revenue catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One note also mentioned a price target increase from BTIG, but the firm kept a sell rating, making the signal mixed rather than clearly positive.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. DZ Bank upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Evercore set a $345.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $396.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $366.95.

American Express Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of American Express stock opened at $347.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $237.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.04. American Express Company has a one year low of $288.34 and a one year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $321.69 and its 200 day moving average is $333.36.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.64 EPS. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.65 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.71%.

About American Express

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.