American Express Company $AXP Shares Purchased by National Pension Service

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its American Express stake by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 1,184,985 shares worth about $438.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed: American Express has an average Hold rating, with analysts’ target prices ranging from a bearish $285 to a bullish $389 per share.
• The company reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings of $4.28 per share and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share, lifting the annualized payout to $3.80.

National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,184,985 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 27,872 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.17% of American Express worth $438,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. South Street Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. South Street Advisors LLC now owns 938 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $494,000. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP increased its stake in shares of American Express by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 5,076 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,878,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 32.8% in the fourth quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 409 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,087 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $8,911,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. BTIG Research restated a "sell" rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore set a $345.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Loop Capital started coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $389.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $359.05.

American Express Stock Up 0.7%

AXP stock opened at $314.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.56. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $286.15 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $312.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $339.06. The firm has a market cap of $214.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. 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. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.71%.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express was highlighted at Bernstein’s Strategic Decisions Conference, keeping management and strategy in focus for investors and suggesting the company remains confident in its growth, cardmember engagement, and premium spending model. American Express Company (AXP) Presents at Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: American Express said cardmembers can now tap and ride on more transit systems across Canada, a small but supportive move that expands everyday payment acceptance and reinforces AmEx’s convenience for daily spending. American Express Cardmembers Can Now Tap and Ride on More Transit Systems Across Canada
• Positive Sentiment: One analyst note said American Express kept a Buy rating after a strong first quarter, which supports the view that the company’s earnings power remains solid despite broader macro concerns. American Express Stock Keeps Buy Rating After Stellar Q1, Despite Clouds Over Consumer Confidence
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles compared AXP with peers such as Visa and Mastercard or with another small-business payments product, but these were more sector commentary than direct catalysts for American Express. Can AmEx Boost SMB Engagement With Its Small Business Credit Card?
• Negative Sentiment: Broader commentary about consumer confidence and retail-banking engagement suggests a less certain spending backdrop, which could limit enthusiasm for payment-volume growth if customers pull back. Warren Buffett's Successor, Greg Abel, Just Sold UnitedHealth Group Stock. Is He Missing a Huge Opportunity?

American Express Company 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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