Crestwood Advisors Group LLC Boosts Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Crestwood Advisors Group boosted its American Express stake by 78% in the fourth quarter, ending with 14,267 shares valued at about $5.28 million.
• American Express reported Q1 earnings of $4.28 per share, beating estimates, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year to $14.22 billion. The company also issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30 to $17.90.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share from $0.82, and Wall Street currently has a Hold consensus with an average price target of $357.47.

Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 78.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,267 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,250 shares during the period. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $5,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Trajan Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 30.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 5,860 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 8,651 shares in the last quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,080,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $531,038,000 after purchasing an additional 4,080 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. This trade represents a 62.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total transaction of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at $3,270,704.09. The trade was a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $315.79 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $311.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $344.05. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $281.46 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The firm had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. American Express's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express's payout ratio is 23.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AXP. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $357.47.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett publicly praised Greg Abel, reinforcing the market’s view that Berkshire’s leadership remains constructive on high-quality financial names like American Express. Warren Buffett: “I'd rather have Greg handling my money than any of the top investment advisors or any of the top CEOs of the United States.”
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted American Express as a Berkshire favorite and one of Buffett’s best value ideas for 2026, which can support sentiment around AXP as a durable, cash-generating franchise. American Express (AXP) – Among the 10 Best Value Stocks to Buy in 2026 According to Warren Buffett
• Positive Sentiment: American Express’ move to sell its remaining stake in American Express Global Business Travel for about $1.5 billion was described as helping the company refocus on its core card business, which investors often view favorably. American Express Exit From GBT Refocuses Capital On Core Card Engine
• Positive Sentiment: American Express also launched an AI upskilling initiative for small businesses, a potentially positive long-term move that could deepen customer relationships and strengthen its small-business ecosystem. American Express Uses AI Upskilling To Deepen Small Business Relationships
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders reaffirmed the board, executive pay, and auditor at the annual meeting, removing a potential governance overhang but likely not a major near-term stock catalyst. American Express Shareholders Reaffirm Board, Pay and Auditor
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing AXP with other value stocks or peers are generally informational and do not appear to be driving the move on their own. INTR vs. AXP: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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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