American Express Company $AXP Position Trimmed by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 8.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,783 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 1,488 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in American Express were worth $5,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in American Express by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,464,868 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $10,900,528,000 after acquiring an additional 369,967 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Express by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,023,482 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,338,238,000 after purchasing an additional 141,936 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of American Express by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,850,298 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,904,218,000 after purchasing an additional 558,533 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 46.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,780,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,464,215,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of American Express stock opened at $349.45 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $323.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.57. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $288.34 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The firm has a market cap of $238.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on AXP. Evercore set a $380.00 target price on American Express in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $340.00 to $386.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $368.50.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on American Express to $364 from $322, implying some upside even though it kept an equal-weight rating. Barclays price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: UBS increased its price target to $386 from $340, suggesting material upside, but maintained a neutral stance. UBS price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment remains constructive overall, with consensus coverage still described as “moderate buy,” which can support the stock’s valuation. Consensus recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen nudged its target higher to $338 but kept a hold rating, reinforcing a cautious view rather than a strong bullish one. TD Cowen target update
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate article highlighted American Express as a quality, low-stress stock idea, which is supportive for sentiment but not a company-specific catalyst. Jefferies stock ideas
• Negative Sentiment: A fund update said American Express was a leading performance detractor, falling due to AI disruption concerns, which may be weighing on investor sentiment. Bretton Fund letter

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.