American Express Company $AXP Shares Bought by Capital Wealth Planning LLC

Key Points

• Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its stake in American Express by 18.5% in Q3 to 2,169,242 shares, worth about $720.5 million, representing 5.1% of the firm's portfolio and its sixth-largest holding.
• Institutional ownership of AXP is high at 84.33%, several other funds adjusted positions recently, and insiders sold roughly 73,944 shares worth about $26.1 million over the past three months.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with a $356.90 target (9 Buys, 13 Holds, 1 Sell), and American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, yield 1.3%).

Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,169,242 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 337,991 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for 5.1% of Capital Wealth Planning LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Capital Wealth Planning LLC owned 0.31% of American Express worth $720,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in American Express by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in American Express by 13.0% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $554,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $428,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of American Express by 78.0% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 19,218 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $6,130,000 after purchasing an additional 8,421 shares during the period. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co lifted its position in American Express by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 5,161 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,646,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price target on American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Evercore set a $393.00 price target on American Express in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $328.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $356.90.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $300.16 on Friday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $344.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $348.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.09 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.04 EPS. American Express's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total transaction of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total value of $8,346,340.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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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