Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $153.41 Million Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Clearbridge Investments trimmed its American Express stake by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, but still held 414,673 shares valued at about $153.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and other institutions controlling 84.33% of AXP shares; several large investors increased positions, including Fisher Asset Management and Capital World Investors.
• American Express reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $4.28 and raised its FY 2026 guidance, while also announcing a $0.95 quarterly dividend payable August 10.

Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 414,673 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 15,082 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.06% of American Express worth $153,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,023,482 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $3,338,238,000 after purchasing an additional 141,936 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of American Express by 46.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $2,780,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393,340 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $2,464,215,000. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of American Express by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,467,637 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,652,810,000 after purchasing an additional 14,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,971,263 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,469,169,000 after purchasing an additional 27,039 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price target on American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Evercore set a $345.00 price target on American Express in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Freedom Capital upgraded American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on American Express in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $389.00 price target on the stock. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, American Express presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $359.05.

American Express Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of AXP stock opened at $310.48 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.06. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $286.15 and a twelve month 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 stock's fifty day simple moving average is $313.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $336.89.

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

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. American Express's payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express announced a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile. The dividend is payable on August 10 to holders of record on July 2. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A broader market rally boosted financial stocks, which can help sentiment around American Express as part of the sector. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article highlighted Navan’s AI-powered travel and expense platform as a challenger to entrenched providers including American Express, but this is more of a competitive backdrop than a direct near-term catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that American Express card spending is growing at its fastest pace in three years, which supports the long-term consumer-spending story, though investors remain focused on whether affluent demand can hold up. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several market recaps emphasized that AXP has been trending lower recently, with shares down year to date and trading below key moving averages, suggesting ongoing valuation and momentum pressure. Article Title

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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