Blair William & Co. IL Lowers Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL slightly trimmed its American Express stake in the fourth quarter, selling 3,443 shares and ending with 700,047 shares valued at about $259 million.
• Analysts are mixed on AXP: the stock’s consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $359.05, though price targets range from bearish to bullish and one firm recently upgraded the stock to strong-buy.
• American Express reported Q1 EPS of $4.28, beating estimates, and recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, while also moving to expand its dining ecosystem with the planned $700 million purchase of TheFork.

Blair William & Co. IL cut its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 700,047 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 3,443 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL owned approximately 0.10% of American Express worth $258,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Express by 6,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sfam LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore set a $345.00 price target on American Express in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Freedom Capital raised shares of American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $359.05.

American Express News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express agreed to buy TheFork for $700 million, adding more than 50,000 European restaurants to its dining network and expanding the company’s premium lifestyle offerings. American Express Expands Dining Ecosystem With TheFork Acquisition From Tripadvisor
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary suggest the deal could improve AmEx’s competitive positioning in dining and experiences, which may support customer acquisition and cardholder spending over time. Analysts Offer Insights on Financial Companies: Visa (V) and American Express (AXP)
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed its sell rating on American Express with a $285 price target, signaling lingering valuation concerns despite the recent stock strength.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $341.06 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $317.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $335.49. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $288.34 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a market cap of $232.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.28, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

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