American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Vestor Capital LLC

Key Points

• Vestor Capital cut its American Express stake by 93.9% in the third quarter, selling 170,461 shares and retaining 11,034 shares valued at about $3.36 million.
• American Express beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $4.68 versus $4.50 expected; revenue rose 8.9% year over year to $20.06 billion, slightly below estimates.
• Company insiders sold 414,171 shares worth about $137 million over the past 90 days, including substantial sales by CEO Stephen Squeri and insider Laureen Seeger.

Vestor Capital LLC lowered its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 93.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,034 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 170,461 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $3,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flputnam Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at about $12,879,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in American Express by 40.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 40,967,262 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $13,857,176,000 after purchasing an additional 11,739,541 shares in the last quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,172,000. Silicon Valley Capital Partners boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 14.9% during the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 41,480 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $14,030,000 after purchasing an additional 5,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter worth about $11,642,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express and Fanatics introduced a co-branded credit card and added Fanatics FanCash as a Membership Rewards transfer option. The partnership could broaden AmEx’s appeal among sports fans and create another way to engage cardmembers, though the reports did not quantify the potential financial contribution. AmEx Takes Page From Trading Cards With Fanatics Deal
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks article highlighted American Express as a long-term stock pick, supporting a favorable investment view, although it did not report a new company development. Why American Express Is a Top Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: A report said American Express shares gained but lagged the broader market, indicating the stock’s session performance was weaker than the market overall. American Express Stock Rises Monday, Still Underperforms Market
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary noted that premium-card fee growth is strong, but rising rewards, benefits and marketing expenses may make it harder to convert that growth into higher profits. Can American Express Turn Premium Card Growth Into Higher Profits?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AXP shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $345.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $342.00 to $340.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Express from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $365.22.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, CEO Stephen Squeri sold 299,401 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.16, for a total transaction of $99,449,036.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 60,567 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,117,934.72. The trade was a 83.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laureen Seeger sold 69,860 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.17, for a total value of $22,925,956.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,002 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,954,186.34. This represents a 88.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 414,171 shares of company stock worth $137,069,544. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $324.35 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $217.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.09. American Express Company has a one year low of $290.97 and a one year high of $387.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $316.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $325.48.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.18. American Express had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 34.19%. The company had revenue of $20.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.14 EPS. American Express's revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.98 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.40%.

American Express Company Profile

American Express Company is a global payments and financial services company that operates a card-issuing business and a payments network. Its products and services include consumer, small-business and corporate cards, payment processing, lending, travel services and expense-management solutions.

Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company expanded into financial services and became known for its charge cards and travel-related services. Today, it serves cardholders and businesses in the United States and markets around the world, connecting customers, merchants and financial institutions through its network.

Stephen J.

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