EP Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $10.11 Million in American Express Company $AXP

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 29,873 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,105,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in American Express in the second quarter valued at $14,208,662,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $2,464,215,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter worth $1,263,787,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter worth about $927,950,000. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its position 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 buying an additional 2,393,340 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Thursday, May 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $389.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $324.00 to $315.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of American Express from $387.00 to $391.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $312.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on American Express from $330.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $373.32.

American Express Trading Up 1.5%

American Express stock opened at $336.00 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $226.90 billion, a PE ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $343.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $326.83. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $290.97 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.12. American Express had a net margin of 15.07% and a return on equity of 34.12%. The company had revenue of $19.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.08 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given 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 of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

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.