Boston Trust Walden Corp Trims Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its American Express stake by 5.6% in the first quarter, selling 13,540 shares and leaving it with 226,586 shares valued at about $68.5 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly positive, with recent upgrades and price-target increases from firms like Piper Sandler, Goldman Sachs, and DZ Bank. MarketBeat data shows a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $366.95.
• American Express reported solid results and a dividend, posting Q1 EPS of $4.28, above estimates, and raising attention with a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, payable August 10.

Boston Trust Walden Corp decreased its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 5.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 226,586 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 13,540 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in American Express were worth $68,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sfam LLC purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Piper Sandler started coverage on American Express in a research note on Monday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $396.00 price objective for the company. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded American Express from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $366.95.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded American Express (AXP) from neutral to strong-buy, signaling growing analyst confidence in the company’s outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: American Express and Apple Pay launched a “Use Pay with Points” feature, letting card members redeem Membership Rewards points at checkout, which could strengthen customer engagement and boost card usage.
• Positive Sentiment: American Express, Resy, and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation launched Restaurant Academy, a new program that supports restaurant operators and reinforces AXP’s merchant relationships.
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted American Express as an undervalued Dow stock and a long-term Buffett holding, reinforcing the view that the stock still has room to run.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street expects American Express to report second-quarter EPS growth in the single digits, suggesting steady but not explosive earnings momentum ahead of the upcoming results.
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target on AXP to $324 from $285, but kept a Sell rating, showing that even some higher target revisions are coming with caution.
• Negative Sentiment: A 247WallSt comparison piece argued Mastercard’s network-fee model offers lower risk and better margin insulation than American Express’s credit-card business, highlighting a potential structural concern for AXP.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $351.66 on Friday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $288.34 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $322.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $333.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.95 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.04.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The firm's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

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