Ascentis Independent Advisors Increases Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its stake in American Express by 234.6% in the first quarter, buying 7,957 additional shares for a total of 11,349 shares worth about $3.43 million.
• Institutional interest in AXP remains strong overall, with hedge funds and other investors owning 84.33% of the company’s stock and several large firms recently adding to their positions.
• American Express continues to draw positive attention from analysts and investors: it beat quarterly EPS estimates, reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance of 17.3 to 17.9, and has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of $366.95.

Ascentis Independent Advisors raised its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 234.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,349 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 7,957 shares during the quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors' holdings in American Express were worth $3,433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,464,215,000. Capital World Investors raised its position in American Express by 46.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $2,780,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393,340 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 845,283 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 73.8% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,451,606 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $438,975,000 after purchasing an additional 616,498 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of American Express by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,850,298 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,904,218,000 after purchasing an additional 558,533 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express was highlighted in multiple articles as an attractive value and momentum stock, with Zacks and other outlets pointing to strong earnings/price momentum and undervaluation versus peers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: News that American Express is expanding its premium-card ecosystem beyond airports and into festivals and sporting events reinforces its appeal to affluent customers who generate high spending and fee revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Tripadvisor said it will sell TheFork to American Express for $700 million in cash, a deal that suggests AmEx is still actively investing to broaden its travel and membership offerings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation comparisons and sector commentary rather than a direct company-specific catalyst, including comparisons of AXP versus Intercorp Financial Services and Mastercard. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is approaching its next earnings report, with Wall Street expecting mid-single-digit EPS growth; this keeps attention on fundamentals but does not yet provide a new earnings result. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argued Mastercard may be the safer choice because it has more fee-based, risk-light economics, implicitly reminding investors that American Express carries more credit exposure and sensitivity to consumer health. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AXP. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Evercore set a $345.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their target price on American Express from $285.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $366.95.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $351.66 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.93. The stock has a market cap of $239.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.04. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $288.34 and a 12-month high of $387.49.

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 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 company had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter last 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 analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. American Express's payout ratio is 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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