American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Maj Invest Holding A S

Key Points

• Maj Invest Holding A S cut its American Express stake by 33.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 155,159 shares and leaving it with 311,080 shares worth about $115.1 million. American Express still accounts for 5.4% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed, with recent rating changes including an upgrade from Freedom Capital and higher price targets from Goldman Sachs, but the overall consensus remains “Hold” with an average target price of $357.47.
• American Express reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $4.28 EPS versus the $4.01 consensus, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share from $0.82.

Maj Invest Holding A S trimmed its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 33.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 311,080 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 155,159 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up 5.4% of Maj Invest Holding A S's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Maj Invest Holding A S's holdings in American Express were worth $115,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on AXP. Freedom Capital upgraded American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. 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 note on Tuesday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Evercore set a $345.00 target price on American Express in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $357.47.

American Express Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of AXP opened at $312.42 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $310.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.93. The stock has a market cap of $213.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.49, 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. 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 (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. 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 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's payout ratio is presently 23.71%.

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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