Birinyi Associates Inc. Purchases 4,110 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Birinyi Associates Inc. increased its American Express stake by 56.7% in the first quarter, buying 4,110 more shares and bringing its total holding to 11,360 shares worth about $3.44 million.
• American Express has seen bullish analyst activity, with JPMorgan upgrading the stock to overweight and lifting its price target to $400, while other firms including Evercore, Barclays, UBS, and RBC also raised targets or reiterated positive views.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS estimates with $4.28 per share and announcing a $0.95 quarterly dividend, while guiding FY2026 EPS to $17.30-$17.90.

Birinyi Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 56.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,360 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 4,110 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for 0.9% of Birinyi Associates Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Birinyi Associates Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $3,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in American Express by 6,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sfam LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

More American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded American Express to overweight and raised its price target to $400, signaling confidence in further upside. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan said American Express should better withstand Middle East conflict-related fallout than rivals because its cardholders skew more affluent and defensive. Yahoo Finance article
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI also raised its price target on AXP to $380 from $345, reinforcing expectations for solid near-term trends. Yahoo Finance article
• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital reaffirmed its buy rating on American Express, adding to the broader positive analyst sentiment. The Globe and Mail article
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlighted AXP as a stock to watch and discussed whether its momentum can continue, but did not introduce a new fundamental catalyst. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express also drew attention from a note saying it remains a buy despite its valuation, which supports sentiment but underscores the stock is not cheap. CNBC article

American Express Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $354.26 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $326.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $331.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.10, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.04. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $288.34 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The firm had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.67 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AXP. BTIG Research boosted their target price on American Express from $285.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of American Express from $322.00 to $364.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $340.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of American Express from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $328.00 to $400.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $374.15.

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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