Bleakley Financial Group LLC Boosts Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Bleakley Financial Group increased its stake in American Express by 40% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,274 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 21,946 shares worth about $8.12 million.
• Institutional interest in AXP remains strong, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 84.33% of the stock despite mixed analyst sentiment and a consensus rating of “Hold” with a $359.05 price target.
• American Express reported Q1 EPS of $4.28, beating estimates, and recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share from $0.82, lifting the annualized payout to $3.80.

Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 40.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,946 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,274 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $8,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Trajan Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 30.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 24,901 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $8,271,000 after purchasing an additional 5,881 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 218.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,540 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $2,837,000 after acquiring an additional 5,860 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,863 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $27,524,000 after acquiring an additional 8,651 shares during the last quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 1,243.9% in the 3rd quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $4,576,000 after acquiring an additional 12,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 159.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 31,611 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $10,500,000 after acquiring an additional 19,429 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on AXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Freedom Capital raised shares of American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $359.05.

American Express Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $311.98 on Tuesday. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $281.46 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The stock has a market cap of $212.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08. The business's 50 day moving average is $311.56 and its 200 day moving average is $340.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. American Express's dividend 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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