L & S Advisors Inc Has $6.78 Million Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• L & S Advisors Inc boosted its stake in American Express by 80% in the fourth quarter, ending with 18,313 shares valued at about $6.78 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 raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock has a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $357.47, though several firms recently raised or cut their targets.

L & S Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 80.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,313 shares of the payment services company's stock after buying an additional 8,141 shares during the quarter. L & S Advisors Inc's holdings in American Express were worth $6,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 146,586 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 24,297 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 29,331 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 845,283 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 83,189 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $313.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $214.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $281.46 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $310.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $342.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $14.22 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 was Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AXP. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Freedom Capital raised American Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $357.47.

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.

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