Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Sells 20,159 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management Holding SA trimmed its stake in American Express by 2.4%
• Insider sales were sizable: Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares for roughly $9.6 million and Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares, with company insiders totaling 73,944 shares sold (~$26.11 million) over the last quarter.
• American Express beat Q1 EPS estimates ($4.28 vs. $4.01) but issued a cautious FY2026 EPS guide of $17.30–$17.90, and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.95 from $0.82 (1.2% yield).

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA reduced its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 835,108 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 20,159 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.12% of American Express worth $308,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,712 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in American Express by 10.0% in the third quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 308 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC grew its position in American Express by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 808 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of American Express stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. The trade was a 46.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock opened at $314.08 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $214.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.13. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $257.21 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $313.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $344.52. 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 released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The firm had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The business's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.6 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

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

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)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on American Express in a report on Friday, April 10th. Eight equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $361.05.

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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