Comerica Bank Trims Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Comerica Bank trimmed its stake in American Express by 5.4% in Q4, selling 8,585 shares and leaving it with 149,551 shares worth about $55.3 million.
• American Express beat Q1 EPS estimates with $4.28 per share, but management set FY2026 guidance of $17.30–$17.90 (slightly below consensus) and flagged higher strategic spending, which capped near‑term upside.
• Analyst views are mixed — the consensus rating is Hold with an average target of $361.05 (BofA raised its target to $387 while JPMorgan and BTIG trimmed theirs) — and insiders sold roughly 73,944 shares (~$26.1M) over the last quarter.

Comerica Bank decreased its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 149,551 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 8,585 shares during the period. Comerica Bank's holdings in American Express were worth $55,327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,881,546 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,950,095,000 after acquiring an additional 146,586 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,122,335 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,701,435,000 after acquiring an additional 24,297 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,452,660 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,479,019,000 after acquiring an additional 29,331 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,310,515,000 after acquiring an additional 845,283 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,483,876 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,157,204,000 after acquiring an additional 83,189 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $285.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Friday. Bank of America upped their target price on American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $361.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares in the company, valued at $3,189,608.10. This trade represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $314.08 on Monday. 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 market capitalization of $214.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.13. The stock's 50 day moving average is $313.64 and its 200 day moving average is $344.52. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $257.21 and a twelve month high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share 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 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.64 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.71%.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on profit and revenue — AXP reported EPS of $4.28, above estimates, and revenue roughly $18.9B with cardmember spending the strongest in three years; these fundamentals underpin long-term earnings power. American Express beats profit estimates (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Premium customer strength — Amex is seeing accelerated luxury and travel spending from affluent and younger cardholders, supporting fee income and premium-product growth. Cardholder spending picks up (MarketWatch)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic commercial wins — New partnerships (including the NFL deal) and product expansion are cited as drivers of revenue growth and customer engagement. NFL deal boosts revenue (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Bank of America raised its price target to $387 and kept a buy rating, signaling upside from current levels for longer-term holders. BofA raises AXP PT (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/product tie-ups — Amex is embedding Resy into Anthropic’s Claude in a product partnership that could enhance customer experience but is not an immediate earnings driver. Resy-Anthropic pact (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — Several outlets note AXP as a quality core holding (RBC) even as some firms debate relative upside vs. growth-oriented payments names; this leaves consensus views split. RBC view (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious FY2026 outlook — Management set EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90, slightly below consensus, which traders interpreted as guidance conservatism and capped upside. Q1 beat but cautious outlook (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Higher investment and expense plans — Management flagged increased strategic spending (technology, marketing), which pressured near-term margins and contributed to the weak market reaction. Spending plans raise concern (Proactive Investors)
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analyst moves — BTIG reaffirmed a sell rating with a $285 PT and JPMorgan previously trimmed its target; these calls add downward pressure and reduce near-term conviction. BTIG sell, JPMorgan cut (Benzinga/InsiderMonkey)
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical caution — Middle East tensions and softer futures dampened overall market appetite for cyclicals, amplifying the stock’s decline despite good quarter-level results. Geopolitics weigh on markets (Zacks)

American Express Company 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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