American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel cut its stake in American Express by 4.8%, selling 7,892 shares and ending the period with 157,151 shares worth about $58.14 million, making AXP its 16th largest holding (2.1% of assets).
• American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, ~1.2% yield) and set FY2026 EPS guidance of 17.30–17.90, after reporting Q results that missed EPS by $0.01 while revenue grew ~10.5% year‑over‑year.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — 73,944 shares sold in the past 90 days (about $26.1M), including large disposals by Ravikumar Radhakrishnan and Anna Marrs that materially reduced their holdings.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 157,151 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 7,892 shares during the period. American Express comprises about 2.1% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $58,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in American Express by 1.7% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,881,546 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,950,095,000 after buying an additional 146,586 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,122,335 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,701,435,000 after acquiring an additional 24,297 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,452,660 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,479,019,000 after acquiring an additional 29,331 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,310,515,000 after acquiring an additional 845,283 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,483,876 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,157,204,000 after acquiring an additional 83,189 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $327.04 on Wednesday. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $239.27 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company's fifty day moving average is $317.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $344.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $224.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.13.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued 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 yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.69%.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Amex launched an Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) developer kit and announced Amex Agent Purchase Protection to cover purchases made by registered AI agents — a move designed to accelerate AI-driven transactions by reducing merchant and consumer friction and building trust in “agentic” commerce. American Express Debuts Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE)™ Developer Kit and Announces Industry-First Protection for Registered Agent Purchases
• Positive Sentiment: AXP is backing Palm to build a portable business-identity network aimed at streamlining onboarding, compliance and data flows for business customers — a potential long-term revenue and moat-enhancing initiative for B2B payments and identity services. Can American Express' Bet on Palm Redefine Business Identity Rails?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and trade press pieces highlight Amex’s premium card franchise, strong spending trends, and AI initiatives as reasons the stock still has upside — supporting investor confidence in the company’s growth trajectory. AXP Flies 22.8% in a Year: How Far Can the Price Rally Go?
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative valuation pieces (BFH vs AXP) are circulating, offering perspective but not new catalysts — useful for asset-allocation decisions but unlikely to move the stock on their own. BFH vs. AXP: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital trimmed its price target on AXP from $425 to $415 while keeping an Outperform rating — a modest signal of valuation caution that could limit near-term upside despite the positive product and strategy news. American Express Company (AXP) – One of the 15 Cash-Rich Dividend Stocks to Invest in Right Now

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on AXP. BTIG Research dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price target on American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on American Express from $367.00 to $323.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $351.20.

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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