Elevated Financial Group LLC Takes Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Elevated Financial Group LLC opened a new position in American Express, buying 3,229 shares in Q4 valued at about $1.195 million, while institutional investors now own roughly 84.33% of the stock.
• American Express beat Q1 earnings (EPS $4.28 vs. $4.01 estimate) and reported year-over-year revenue growth, but management issued a cautious FY2026 EPS guide of $17.30–$17.90, prompting mixed analyst reactions and a consensus rating of “Hold.”
• Insiders have been net sellers recently—73,944 shares sold (~$26.1 million over 90 days), including large sales by Denise Pickett and Anna Marrs—while the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, ~1.2% yield).

Elevated Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,229 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $1,195,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Express by 153.3% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total value of $8,346,340.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,767,480.14. This represents a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $314.08 on Friday. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $257.21 and a 12-month high of $387.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $313.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $344.37.

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 (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.64 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue 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. Research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays reduced their target price 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. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore set a $393.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $361.05.

Key American Express News

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 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.