Patton Fund Management Inc. Buys 8,130 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management increased its stake in American Express by 93% in the fourth quarter, buying 8,130 shares to hold 16,874 shares worth about $6.24 million.
• Insiders sold heavily, disposing of 73,944 shares valued at roughly $26.11 million in the last 90 days, including large February sales by Denise Pickett and Anna Marrs, leaving insiders with just 0.14% ownership.
• American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, ~1.2% yield; ex-dividend April 2, payable May 8) and set FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90.

Patton Fund Management Inc. grew its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP - Free Report) by 93.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,874 shares of the payment services company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,130 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings in American Express were worth $6,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 153.3% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Evercore set a $393.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $351.20.

Insider Activity

In other American Express news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total value of $8,346,340.35. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of American Express 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 sale, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock opened at $323.72 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $239.27 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The firm has a market cap of $222.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.13. The company's 50-day moving average price is $318.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $344.87.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. American Express's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders 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 represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express's payout ratio is 24.69%.

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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