Moran Wealth Management LLC Reduces Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Moran Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in American Express by 5% in Q4, selling 3,190 shares and finishing the period with 60,924 shares valued at about $22.54 million.
• Company insiders sold a total of 73,944 shares worth roughly $26.11 million over the past 90 days, including large individual sales by Denise Pickett and Anna Marrs.
• American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 from $0.82 (annualized $3.80, ~1.1% yield), with the dividend payable on May 8 and an ex-dividend date of April 2.

Moran Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 60,924 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 3,190 shares during the quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $22,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its position in American Express by 153.3% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the third quarter worth $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth $28,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. BTIG Research lowered their price objective on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price target on American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $350.70.

American Express News Summary

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was 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 directly owned 7,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 20,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 corporate insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP stock opened at $331.47 on Friday. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $239.27 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $316.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $344.45. The company has a market capitalization of $227.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 24.69%.

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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