6,660,940 Shares in American Express Company $AXP Bought by Norges Bank

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new stake in American Express, buying 6,660,940 shares worth about $2.46 billion in the fourth quarter. The position represented roughly 0.97% of the company, highlighting major institutional interest in AXP.
• American Express reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.28 beating estimates, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share from $0.82. The company also reiterated FY 2026 EPS guidance of 17.3 to 17.9.
• Recent business updates were broadly positive, including a new niche small-business card launch and expanded tap-and-ride transit acceptance in Canada. Still, analysts noted some caution around consumer confidence, even as the stock continues to draw mixed-to-positive ratings.

Norges Bank bought a new position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 6,660,940 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $2,464,215,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 0.97% of American Express as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AXP. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $554,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at $428,000. Howland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 19.9% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express launched a new business card aimed at niche small and midsize businesses, including interior designers, which suggests continued product expansion and a push to deepen relationships with higher-value commercial customers. American Express Targets Niche SMEs With New Interior Designer Business Card
• Positive Sentiment: American Express cardmembers can now tap and ride on more transit systems across Canada, a small but constructive sign that the company is expanding everyday payment usage and improving card utility. American Express Cardmembers Can Now Tap and Ride on More Transit Systems Across Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and conference coverage highlighted American Express at Bernstein’s strategic decisions conference and followed up on its strong first-quarter results, reinforcing the view that fundamentals remain solid even as consumers face pressure. American Express Keeps Buy Rating After Stellar Q1, Despite Clouds Over Consumer Confidence
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market activity has drawn attention, which can signal expectations for a meaningful move, but the article does not provide a clear fundamental catalyst by itself. Do Options Traders Know Something About American Express Stock We Don't?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several items were mostly background or general-interest pieces about the company’s history, workforce, or Buffett ownership rather than immediate stock drivers. History of American Express: Company timeline & facts
• Negative Sentiment: There was no major negative company-specific news in the latest set, but broader commentary noted ongoing concerns about consumer confidence, which could temper enthusiasm if spending slows. American Express Keeps Buy Rating After Stellar Q1, Despite Clouds Over Consumer Confidence

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on AXP. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Freedom Capital upgraded American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays dropped their price objective on 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. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on American Express in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $389.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $359.05.

American Express Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of AXP opened at $316.55 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $312.81 and a 200 day moving average of $338.90. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $286.15 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The firm has a market cap of $215.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.08. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share 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 $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.64 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.95 dividend. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. 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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