American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give American Express a consensus “Hold” rating from 22 firms (1 sell, 14 hold, 7 buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $354.16, and several brokers (JPMorgan, BTIG, Morgan Stanley) recently trimmed targets while RBC set a higher $415 target.
• AmEx set FY 2026 EPS guidance of 17.30–17.90 (consensus ~17.53) after reporting Q1 EPS of $3.53 (missed by $0.01); the stock trades around $330 with a P/E of ~21.4 and a market cap of about $226 billion.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 from $0.82 (annualized $3.80, ~1.2% yield), while insiders have sold ~73,944 shares (~$26.1M) in the past 90 days even as institutional investors own ~84.3% of the stock.

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $354.1579.

Several brokerages have recently commented on AXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 10th. BTIG Research reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $329.71 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. American Express has a one year low of $246.37 and a one year high of $387.49. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $315.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $344.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $226.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.13.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.04 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express will post 17.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 24.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total transaction of $2,820,301.82. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at $3,270,704.09. This represents a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in American Express by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in American Express by 13.0% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $554,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new stake in American Express during the second quarter worth about $428,000. Howland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Express by 4.2% during the second quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in American Express by 19.9% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AmEx acquired Hypercard to expand AI-driven expense automation and commercial services — this strengthens its enterprise product set and could boost fee revenue and client retention over time. How Will AmEx's Hyper Acquisition Expand Its AI Capabilities?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights AmEx’s new “agentic commerce” AI platform as potentially redefining its premium moat — a product differentiation story that could support higher margins if adoption scales. Does Amex’s New AI Agentic Commerce Platform Redefine the Premium Moat Around AXP?
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and talent recognition: Newsweek named American Express among winners in workplace/industry lists — a modest positive for reputation, recruiting and customer trust. Newsweek Names Integrity One of America's Greatest Workplaces for Culture, Belonging & Community
• Neutral Sentiment: Several previews and analyst-roundups ahead of AmEx’s Q1 earnings (reporting April 23) emphasize key metrics investors will watch — spending trends, loan losses/credit quality, and commercial services growth — creating potential for short-term volatility around the print. Exploring Analyst Estimates for American Express (AXP) Q1 Earnings, Beyond Revenue and EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Market pieces debate timing: some suggest waiting until after Q1 to add shares given limited near-term catalysts despite solid fundamentals — this keeps buy-side conviction mixed. American Express (AXP) Stock: Should You Buy Before or After Q1 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst commentary labels AXP a “hold” despite being fundamentally solid, citing lack of a clear catalyst for upside and therefore limited short-term appreciation potential. That cautious tone can weigh on the stock ahead of results. American Express (AXP) Looks Solid Ahead of Q1 Earnings. Why Is It Still a Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Independent investor interest: a recent Seeking Alpha piece discloses a new position in AXP, signaling some buy-side conviction among value/long-term investors. American Express: Why We Established A New Position

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.

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