New York State Teachers Retirement System Trims Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its AXP stake by 4.5% in Q4, selling 20,823 shares and leaving it with 438,366 shares worth about $162.17 million (≈0.06% of the company).
• American Express reported an EPS beat of $4.28 vs. $4.01 and set FY2026 guidance of $17.30–$17.90, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, ~1.2% yield).
• Insiders have been net sellers (73,944 shares sold in the last 90 days, ~$26.1M) and analyst coverage is mixed — 8 Buys, 13 Holds, 1 Sell, with a consensus price target of $357.47.

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 438,366 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 20,823 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.06% of American Express worth $162,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AXP. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in American Express by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $554,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new stake in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $428,000. Howland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Express by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $707,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in American Express by 19.9% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $924,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target to $387 and kept a Buy rating, citing healthy Q1 results as support for upside in AXP shares. BofA Securities Lifts PT on American Express (AXP) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs recently raised its price target (reported April 28), a sign of bullish analyst momentum behind the stock. American Express (AXP) May Be Stronger Than Many Expected
• Positive Sentiment: American Express rolled out enhanced benefits for its Gold Card (5X points on prepaid hotels, Hertz Five Star status, updated dining credit) as part of its 60th anniversary — a product move aimed at increasing spend and member loyalty. U.S. Consumer American Express® Gold Card Introduces New and Enhanced Benefits...
• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals: AXP reported an EPS beat in its latest quarter and set FY2026 EPS guidance in the mid-to-high teens, supporting investor confidence and the recent analyst upgrades. (Company earnings release and guidance drove prior analyst momentum.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and value-oriented investors are discussing bullish theses on AXP (including a r/ValueInvesting summary), increasing attention but not immediately altering fundamentals. Is American Express Company (AXP) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other platforms note trending investor interest in AXP, which can amplify moves but is not a fundamental catalyst on its own. Is Trending Stock American Express Company (AXP) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector read-through: Mastercard reported strong Q1 results (cross-border volume growth), which supports the payments sector outlook and may lift peers like AXP indirectly. Mastercard Beats Q1 Earnings on Strong Cross-Border Volume Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/valuation caution: AXP trades below its 200‑day moving average and its trailing P/E (~20–21) leaves limited margin for multiple contraction; these factors can act as resistance if growth or margin concerns re-emerge.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value 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 is available at this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $323.22 on Friday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $266.52 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company's 50 day moving average is $311.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $344.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a market cap of $220.54 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.13.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express's payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AXP. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. 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 note on Tuesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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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