American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• American Express has a Moderate Buy consensus rating from 23 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $366.95. The split includes 9 buys, 2 strong buys, 11 holds, and 1 sell.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $4.28 per share, beating estimates, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year. American Express also guided FY 2026 EPS at 17.3 to 17.9.
• American Express announced a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, payable August 10, which works out to an annualized yield of about 1.1%. Institutional ownership remains high at 84.33% of shares outstanding.

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $366.95.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. Loop Capital assumed coverage on American Express in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $389.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays reduced 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. Freedom Capital raised shares of American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th.

Institutional Trading of American Express

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in American Express by 6,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sfam LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP stock opened at $351.66 on Monday. American Express has a 1-year low of $288.34 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market cap of $239.95 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.04. The business's 50-day moving average price is $322.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $332.93.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The company had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. The company'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. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Express will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

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

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express was highlighted in multiple articles as an attractive value and momentum stock, with Zacks and other outlets pointing to strong earnings/price momentum and undervaluation versus peers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: News that American Express is expanding its premium-card ecosystem beyond airports and into festivals and sporting events reinforces its appeal to affluent customers who generate high spending and fee revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Tripadvisor said it will sell TheFork to American Express for $700 million in cash, a deal that suggests AmEx is still actively investing to broaden its travel and membership offerings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation comparisons and sector commentary rather than a direct company-specific catalyst, including comparisons of AXP versus Intercorp Financial Services and Mastercard. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is approaching its next earnings report, with Wall Street expecting mid-single-digit EPS growth; this keeps attention on fundamentals but does not yet provide a new earnings result. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argued Mastercard may be the safer choice because it has more fee-based, risk-light economics, implicitly reminding investors that American Express carries more credit exposure and sensitivity to consumer health. Article Title

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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