Meiji Yasuda America Inc Invests $8.76 Million in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda America Inc. bought a new stake in American Express during the fourth quarter, purchasing 23,690 shares valued at about $8.76 million. The position now makes up 2.0% of its portfolio and is its 12th-largest holding.
• Institutional ownership of American Express remains high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 84.33% of the stock. Several firms, including Nuveen, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, and Xponance, also increased their positions.
• American Express reported quarterly EPS of $4.28, beating estimates, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 1.2%.

Meiji Yasuda America Inc purchased a new position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 23,690 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $8,764,000. American Express makes up 2.0% of Meiji Yasuda America Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 86,871 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $32,138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,008 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 5,172,484 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,913,560,000 after purchasing an additional 293,107 shares in the last quarter. Xponance LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 103,029 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $38,116,000 after purchasing an additional 4,396 shares in the last quarter. Canopy Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 6,211 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,298,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winning Points Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $277,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. BTIG Research reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Truist Financial cut their price objective 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. Evercore set a $345.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays cut their price objective on American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Express has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $359.05.

American Express Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of AXP stock opened at $318.95 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $315.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $336.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $286.15 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The company has a market capitalization of $217.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.06.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The company's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.64 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.71%.

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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