Focused Investors LLC Decreases Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Focused Investors LLC trimmed its stake in American Express by 2.6%, selling 11,550 shares to finish the quarter with 434,550 shares (about $160.76M), which represents roughly 5.1% of the firm's portfolio and is its 8th-largest holding.
• American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (from $0.82), an annualized $3.80 payout with a ~1.1% yield, payable May 8 and with an ex-dividend date of April 2.
• Recent results and outlook: AmEx reported Q4 EPS of $3.53 (missing consensus by $0.01) with revenue up 10.5% year-over-year, set FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90, while sell-side analysts’ consensus for the current fiscal year is about $15.33.

Focused Investors LLC cut its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 434,550 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 11,550 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up about 5.1% of Focused Investors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Focused Investors LLC owned about 0.06% of American Express worth $160,762,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

American Express Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of AXP opened at $331.47 on Monday. The company's fifty day moving average is $316.28 and its 200 day moving average is $344.65. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $239.27 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $227.32 billion, a PE ratio of 21.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.04 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 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 is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total transaction of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $395.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $350.70.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of AI expense startup Hyper strengthens AmEx’s commercial services technology stack and signals accelerated investment in agentic automation for expense reporting and compliance; deal expected to close in Q2. AmEx to buy Altman-backed Hyper in push for AI-powered expense tools
• Positive Sentiment: Company is rolling out AI-driven agent and expense tools and touting “agentic commerce” capabilities — a strategic move that could expand commercial spend products, drive differentiation versus peers, and support revenue/fee growth over time. American Express Bets On AI Agents With Hyper Deal And New Tools
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and screens (Zacks) point to the ingredients for a likely Q1 earnings beat — resilient consumer and commercial spending trends and positive EPS setup — supporting near-term upside expectations. American Express (AXP) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term competitive moat argued to be resilient by investors/writers, supporting confidence in durable returns even through cyclical headwinds. American Express' Moat Is More Resistant Than What You Think
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly 13F filing shows Baxter Bros trimmed AXP by a small amount — a minor ownership change, not a large-scale sell-off. American Express Company $AXP is Baxter Bros Inc.’s 8th Largest Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Company messaging and filings point to stable credit quality with only moderate write-offs — credit trends are healthy but remain a line-item to monitor for earnings sensitivity. American Express Reports Stable Credit Quality, Moderate Write-Offs
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts urge caution ahead of Q1 — pointing to valuation, rising costs, and that AXP may not be an obvious “must-buy” before results; these views inject near-term volatility risk. American Express: Not A Pound-The-Table Buy Ahead Of Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Shares pulled back in the prior session amid mixed market action, underscoring short-term sensitivity to broader market moves and news flow. American Express (AXP) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts

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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