Baird Financial Group Inc. Cuts Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 155,145 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 3,696 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $52,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in American Express by 6,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Sfam LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AXP. HSBC increased their price target on shares of American Express from $312.00 to $329.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Guggenheim began coverage on American Express in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on American Express from $385.00 to $382.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. DZ Bank upgraded American Express from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on American Express in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $389.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $373.32.

American Express Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of AXP opened at $321.94 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $217.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.53, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $290.97 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $340.61 and a 200 day moving average of $324.87.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $19.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.70 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%.American Express's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.08 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.68 EPS for the current year.

American Express Company Profile

American Express Company is a global payments and financial services company that provides payment products, services and experiences to consumers, businesses and institutions. Its offerings include credit and charge cards, consumer and commercial payment solutions, business financing, deposit products and expense-management tools.

The company also operates a global payments network connecting cardmembers, merchants and financial institutions. Through its merchant services business, American Express supports payment acceptance and provides data-driven marketing and customer-engagement solutions.

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