Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Sequoia Financial Advisors increased its stake in American Express by 9.5% to 60,613 shares, valued at about $22.42 million at quarter-end.
• Q1 results: American Express reported EPS of $4.28 (vs. $4.01 consensus) and revenue of $14.22 billion (below the $18.60 billion estimate), and set FY2026 guidance of 17.30–17.90 EPS (consensus ~17.59).
• Dividend boost: the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (from $0.82), an annualized $3.80 and a ~1.2% yield, payable May 8 with an ex-dividend date of April 2.

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 60,613 shares of the payment services company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,259 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in American Express were worth $22,424,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Express by 1.7% in the third 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 holdings in American Express by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,122,335 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,701,435,000 after acquiring an additional 24,297 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,479,019,000 after acquiring an additional 29,331 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 27.0% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,310,515,000 after acquiring an additional 845,283 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of American Express by 2.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 83,189 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE AXP opened at $322.01 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $311.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $344.25. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $273.89 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The company has a market capitalization of $219.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.08.

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 the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $14.22 billion for 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 revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.64 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Evercore set a $345.00 price target on American Express in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $357.47.

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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