Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd Acquires 128,637 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Alphinity Investment Management raised its stake in American Express by 16.3% in Q4, buying 128,637 shares to hold 916,149 shares worth about $338.93M, representing roughly 0.13% of AXP and 3.4% of Alphinity’s portfolio (its 14th largest holding).
• Insider selling has been notable recently: insiders sold 73,944 shares in the past 90 days worth about $26.11M (including large sales by Howard Grosfield and Denise Pickett), leaving insiders with only ~0.14% ownership.
• Analysts’ consensus is a Hold with a $354.16 price target, while American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, 1.2% yield) and set FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90.

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 916,149 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 128,637 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up 3.4% of Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd owned about 0.13% of American Express worth $338,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Trajan Wealth LLC raised its stake in American Express by 30.9% in the third quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 24,901 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $8,271,000 after buying an additional 5,881 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in American Express by 218.7% in the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,540 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $2,837,000 after buying an additional 5,860 shares during the last quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the third quarter valued at about $1,080,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in American Express by 11.7% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,863 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $27,524,000 after buying an additional 8,651 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in American Express by 0.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $531,038,000 after buying an additional 4,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings cut American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays reduced their price objective on American Express from $367.00 to $323.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $354.16.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at $3,270,704.09. The trade was a 46.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. This represents a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express News Summary

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

American Express Trading Down 0.0%

American Express stock opened at $329.71 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $246.37 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $315.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $344.64. The firm has a market cap of $226.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.13.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. 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. Analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.53 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.69%.

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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