American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Swedbank AB

Key Points

• Swedbank AB trimmed its American Express stake by 1.3% in Q4, selling 4,880 shares and holding 360,104 shares worth about $133.22 million (≈0.05% of the company).
• Insider sales were notable: Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares at $356.58 (~$5.35M) and Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares at $346.73 (~$2.82M), leaving insiders with roughly 0.14% ownership.
• Company fundamentals and catalysts: Q1 EPS beat expectations ($4.28 vs. $4.01) and AmEx reaffirmed FY2026 guidance while boosting its quarterly dividend to $0.95 and continuing large buybacks, though consensus analyst rating remains a "Hold" (target ~$357.47).

Swedbank AB decreased its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 360,104 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 4,880 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned 0.05% of American Express worth $133,220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Trajan Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 24,901 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $8,271,000 after acquiring an additional 5,881 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Express by 218.7% in the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,540 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,837,000 after acquiring an additional 5,860 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in American Express by 11.7% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,863 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $27,524,000 after purchasing an additional 8,651 shares during the period. ZEGA Investments LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,080,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in American Express by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $531,038,000 after purchasing an additional 4,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sale/exit from GBT refocuses capital on AmEx’s core card business and will generate cash and a one‑time gain, improving capital flexibility for buybacks and debt reduction. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results topped expectations and management reaffirmed 2026 guidance, supporting the view that underlying card spending and margins remain solid. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management is returning capital to shareholders (large share repurchases since 2023 and a 16% dividend raise), which bolsters yield and buyback-driven EPS support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New AI training and scholarship programs for small businesses expand AmEx’s merchant/SMB relationships and product stickiness, a long‑term revenue opportunity for business services and card spend. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Preferred dividend declaration is procedural for preferred holders and has limited direct impact on common equity valuation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader payments/ travel headlines (Visa earnings beat, NYC Small Business Expo) provide context for sector trends but do not change AXP’s company‑specific catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary questions whether the faster dividend growth is sustainable over the long term given capital needs and cyclical risks — a risk for income‑sensitive investors if earnings slow. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising credit‑risk concerns at peers (e.g., commentary on Capital One) underscore industry credit vulnerability that could affect chargeoffs and margins if macro conditions deteriorate. Read More.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. This trade represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

American Express Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of AXP stock opened at $322.01 on Thursday. 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 fifty-two week low of $273.89 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $311.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $344.25. The stock has a market cap of $219.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price target on American Express in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $357.47.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.