M&T Bank Corp Raises Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in American Express by 2.6% in Q4 to 161,213 shares, valued at about $59.64 million.
• American Express reported Q results with $4.28 EPS beating estimates but revenue of $14.22B came in below the $18.60B consensus; the company set FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90 and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 from $0.82.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 84.33% while insiders sold roughly 73,944 shares (~$26.1M) over the past 90 days, and analysts hold an average "Hold" rating with a $357.47 price target.

M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 161,213 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,109 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in American Express were worth $59,641,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $319.74 on Monday. American Express Company has a one year low of $273.10 and a one year high of $387.49. The company's 50-day moving average is $311.71 and its 200 day moving average is $344.36. The company has a market capitalization of $218.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.08. 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 (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.64 EPS. American Express's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% 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 17.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. American Express's payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $395.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $357.47.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

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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