19,667 Shares in American Express Company $AXP Purchased by Evolve Private Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Evolve Private Wealth LLC opened a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter, buying 19,667 shares valued at about $7.28 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 84.33% of American Express shares held by institutions and hedge funds. Other large investors also increased stakes, including State Street, Fisher Asset Management, and Bank of America.
• American Express continues to draw mixed Wall Street views: analysts have a Hold consensus and a $359.05 price target, while BTIG reiterated a sell rating. The company also reported Q1 EPS of $4.28, beating estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share.

Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 19,667 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $7,276,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in American Express by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,464,868 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $10,900,528,000 after acquiring an additional 369,967 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in American Express by 1.6% during the fourth 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 stake in American Express by 7.7% during the fourth 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 raised its stake in American Express by 46.7% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $2,464,215,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express agreed to buy Tripadvisor’s TheFork platform for about $700 million in cash, expanding its European dining network and potentially making its premium card offerings more attractive to customers. TheFork Joins AmEx's Growing Global Dining Network in $700M Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports noted that the TheFork deal could be viewed as value-creating and supportive of American Express’s long-term growth strategy, reinforcing its push into dining and experiences. TheFork Joins AmEx's Growing Global Dining Network in $700M Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains mixed, with some firms highlighting American Express as an attractive value/growth name while others continue to recommend caution, creating an uneven sentiment backdrop for the shares. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Financial Companies: Progressive (PGR) and American Express (AXP)
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG reiterated a sell rating and a $285 price target, which suggests some downside risk and may temper enthusiasm around the recent gains. Benzinga report on BTIG rating

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 note on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $359.05.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $340.25 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $318.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $335.33. The company has a market capitalization of $232.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.06. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $288.34 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The business's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express's payout ratio is 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.

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