Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Lowers Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Nippon Life Global Investors Americas cut its position in American Express by 28.3% in Q4, selling 15,620 shares and now holding 39,490 shares worth about $14.61 million.
• American Express beat Q1 EPS estimates ($4.28 vs. $4.01) but provided a cautious FY2026 EPS guide of $17.30–$17.90, and analysts' consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of $361.05.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 from $0.82 (annualized $3.80, ~1.2% yield), while insiders have been net sellers—73,944 shares sold in the past 90 days—leaving insider ownership around 0.14%.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. lessened its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 28.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,490 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 15,620 shares during the quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $14,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,881,546 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $2,950,095,000 after purchasing an additional 146,586 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its stake in American Express by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,122,335 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,701,435,000 after buying an additional 24,297 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in American Express by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,452,660 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,479,019,000 after buying an additional 29,331 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in American Express by 27.0% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,310,515,000 after buying an additional 845,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in American Express by 2.4% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,483,876 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,157,204,000 after buying an additional 83,189 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Up 0.0%

American Express stock opened at $314.08 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $214.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $344.52. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $257.21 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $14.22 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.64 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.6 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 issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. American Express's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.71%.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of American Express 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 20,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. The trade was a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. The trade was a 62.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut American Express from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued 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 an average target price of $361.05.

More American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on profit and revenue — AXP reported EPS of $4.28, above estimates, and revenue roughly $18.9B with cardmember spending the strongest in three years; these fundamentals underpin long-term earnings power. American Express beats profit estimates (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Premium customer strength — Amex is seeing accelerated luxury and travel spending from affluent and younger cardholders, supporting fee income and premium-product growth. Cardholder spending picks up (MarketWatch)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic commercial wins — New partnerships (including the NFL deal) and product expansion are cited as drivers of revenue growth and customer engagement. NFL deal boosts revenue (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Bank of America raised its price target to $387 and kept a buy rating, signaling upside from current levels for longer-term holders. BofA raises AXP PT (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/product tie-ups — Amex is embedding Resy into Anthropic’s Claude in a product partnership that could enhance customer experience but is not an immediate earnings driver. Resy-Anthropic pact (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — Several outlets note AXP as a quality core holding (RBC) even as some firms debate relative upside vs. growth-oriented payments names; this leaves consensus views split. RBC view (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious FY2026 outlook — Management set EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90, slightly below consensus, which traders interpreted as guidance conservatism and capped upside. Q1 beat but cautious outlook (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Higher investment and expense plans — Management flagged increased strategic spending (technology, marketing), which pressured near-term margins and contributed to the weak market reaction. Spending plans raise concern (Proactive Investors)
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analyst moves — BTIG reaffirmed a sell rating with a $285 PT and JPMorgan previously trimmed its target; these calls add downward pressure and reduce near-term conviction. BTIG sell, JPMorgan cut (Benzinga/InsiderMonkey)
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical caution — Middle East tensions and softer futures dampened overall market appetite for cyclicals, amplifying the stock’s decline despite good quarter-level results. Geopolitics weigh on markets (Zacks)

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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