American Express Company $AXP Shares Acquired by Kimelman & Baird LLC

Key Points

• Kimelman & Baird LLC increased its stake in American Express by 387% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 6,087 shares valued at about $2.25 million.
• American Express reported Q1 earnings of $4.28 per share, beating analyst estimates, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year to $14.22 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share from $0.82.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock has an average rating of Hold with an average price target of $357.47, even as major firms like Goldman Sachs and Bank of America lifted their targets and kept buy ratings.

Kimelman & Baird LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 387.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,087 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,837 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $2,252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp increased its position in shares of American Express by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 308 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $465,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Lantz Financial LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 808 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,378 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Management Network Inc. increased its position in shares of American Express by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Financial Management Network Inc. now owns 3,740 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Down 0.3%

AXP stock opened at $312.42 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $310.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $281.46 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The firm has a market cap of $213.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The business had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The company'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, equities analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a $0.95 dividend. This is a positive change 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 23.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. BTIG Research reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $357.47.

American Express Profile

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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