American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd

Key Points

• Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd cut its American Express stake by 52.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,560 shares and leaving it with 3,240 shares worth about $1.2 million.
• Several other institutional investors increased their positions in AXP, and institutional ownership remains high at 84.33% of the company’s stock.
• American Express reported quarterly EPS of $4.28, beating analyst estimates, and also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share from $0.82.

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 52.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,240 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 3,560 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd's holdings in American Express were worth $1,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AXP. Trajan Wealth LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 30.9% during the third quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 24,901 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $8,271,000 after purchasing an additional 5,881 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in American Express by 218.7% in the 3rd 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 period. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in American Express by 11.7% in the 3rd 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 period. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 1,243.9% during the 3rd quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $4,576,000 after purchasing an additional 12,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of American Express by 159.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 31,611 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $10,500,000 after purchasing an additional 19,429 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted American Express’s resilient premium spending, strong earnings growth, and expanding lifestyle ecosystem as reasons it may have more upside than PayPal. American Express vs. PayPal: Which Fintech Stock Has More Upside?
• Positive Sentiment: American Express expanded its sports-commerce strategy through a Fanatics tie-up, adding a co-branded card and rewards integration that could support card usage and customer engagement. AmEx Expands Sports Commerce Strategy With Fanatics Tie-Up
• Positive Sentiment: American Express was also mentioned as one of Warren Buffett’s long-term “forever” holdings, reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s durable business model and cash-generating ability. Warren Buffett's favorite stocks to buy and hold forever
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles simply reiterated American Express’s status as a Buffett-backed dividend and quality financial stock, which supports the investment case but does not represent a new catalyst. 2 Warren Buffett Stocks That Pay You a Passive Income
• Neutral Sentiment: A broader market piece said weakness in American Express is drawing attention to S&P 500 value stocks, which is more of a commentary on relative valuation than a direct negative company-specific development. American Express Weakness Puts S&P 500 Value In Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotional news about new Hilton and Marriott card offers may support future card sign-ups, but it appears to be routine marketing rather than a major earnings-moving event. New Hilton and Marriott credit card offers — earn up to 175,000 points

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AXP. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $359.05.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $311.98 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $311.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $340.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market cap of $212.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $281.46 and a 12 month high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. 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. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.71%.

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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