Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Grows Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in American Express by 350% in the first quarter, buying an additional 961,698 shares and bringing its total holding to 1,236,438 shares worth about $374 million.
• American Express recently reported Q2 EPS of $4.53, beating analyst expectations, while revenue rose 10% year over year; the company also raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to $17.30-$17.90.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share and has drawn a mostly positive analyst outlook, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $374.11.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 350.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,236,438 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 961,698 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned 0.18% of American Express worth $373,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. State Street Corp raised its position in American Express by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,464,868 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $10,900,528,000 after purchasing an additional 369,967 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,023,482 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $3,338,238,000 after purchasing an additional 141,936 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,850,298 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,904,218,000 after purchasing an additional 558,533 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of American Express by 46.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,780,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,464,215,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

AXP opened at $325.86 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $332.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $330.33. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $288.34 and a 12-month high of $387.49. The firm has a market cap of $222.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $14.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.70 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.08 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid 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 is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AXP. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $322.00 to $364.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Evercore assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of American Express from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $328.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of American Express from a "positive" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $374.11.

Key American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express beat Q2 EPS estimates with $4.53 per share and reported 10% year-over-year revenue growth, showing resilient demand from cardmembers. AmEx raises 2026 revenue growth forecast as affluent cardholders keep spending
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 revenue growth forecast and guided full-year EPS to $17.30-$17.90, signaling confidence that premium card spending on travel and dining remains strong. American Express Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management said cardmember spending stayed healthy, with strong travel and entertainment demand and continued strength among affluent customers, which supports revenue momentum. American Express Sales, Profit Rise on Higher Card Member Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary suggest the stock reaction is being driven by an earnings-quality debate: investors liked the beat, but the market is questioning whether growth can continue while expenses rise. Why American Express Stock Fell 6.5% Friday Morning
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in below some Wall Street expectations, and reports highlighted softer net interest income and rising operating costs, which helped trigger selling despite the profit beat. American Express shares slip despite earnings beat as revenue falls short of forecasts

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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