Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP Acquires New Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP initiated a new position in American Express, buying 3,924 shares in Q4 valued at roughly $1.45 million.
• Q1 earnings beat: AXP reported $4.28 EPS (vs. $4.01 est.) with strong card‑member spending, but management gave slightly cautious FY26 guidance (17.30–17.90 EPS) and flagged higher investment/expense plans.
• Dividend and ownership: American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 ($3.80 annual; ~1.2% yield), while insiders sold about 73,944 shares last quarter and institutional investors own ~84.3% of the stock.

Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,924 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $1,452,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in American Express by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in American Express by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth about $428,000. Howland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on EPS and spending — AXP reported $4.28 EPS and robust card‑member spending (best quarterly growth in ~3 years), driving revenue strength and showing continued premium‑customer demand. AXP Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong US Consumer Services Unit
• Positive Sentiment: New partnerships and premium focus — The NFL global payments deal and continued premium card momentum are cited as drivers of revenue growth and customer engagement. Amex New NFL Deal, Premium Customer Base Power Revenue Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Product/AI initiatives and younger cohorts — Management highlights AI tools and stronger engagement from millennials as sources of durable spending acceleration. Amex Leans on Millennials and AI as Card Spending Accelerates
• Neutral Sentiment: Long‑term investor interest — Commentary on AXP as a long‑held Buffett position underscores its franchise value, but is not a near‑term catalyst. American Express (AXP), The Longest-Held Position of Warren Buffett; See Why
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance and rising spend plans — Management set FY26 EPS guidance slightly below consensus and flagged increased investment/expense plans, which investors interpreted as a near‑term profit tradeoff. Why American Express Fell Today
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/geopolitics weigh on sentiment — Reescalation of tensions in the Middle East and broader risk‑off moves in futures dampened risk appetite, compounding investor focus on any cautious language from management. Geopolitics Weigh on Sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure — Recent price‑target cuts (e.g., JPMorgan) reflect concerns about the macro outlook and valuation, creating additional near‑term headwinds. American Express Company (AXP) PT Slashed by JPMorgan on Uncertain Macro Outlook

American Express Stock Performance

AXP opened at $318.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $218.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $314.12 and a 200-day moving average of $344.38. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $257.21 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. American Express's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.53 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. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express's payout ratio is currently 24.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was 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 owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. The trade was a 62.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 in the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price target on American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore set a $393.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Seven investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $359.67.

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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