Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. Sells 27,858 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 67.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,732 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 27,858 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for 0.6% of Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings in American Express were worth $5,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in American Express by 0.8% in the third quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,712 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $1,233,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 808 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,378 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore set a $345.00 target price on American Express in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays cut their price target on American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $357.47.

More American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sale of remaining ~30% stake in Global Business Travel (GBT) will unlock cash and an expected pre‑tax gain, providing ammunition for buybacks/dividends and reducing exposure to travel services. AmEx's GBT Exit and Q1 Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed an EPS beat and management reaffirmed 2026 guidance — evidence of earnings resilience that supports the stock’s capital-return plans. AmEx's Q1 Beat / Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Airfare inflation and tighter flight capacity are pushing consumers toward cheaper alternatives and rewards programs — a macro tailwind for card spend and loyalty benefits that favor networks like AmEx. Airfares Jump 15%
• Neutral Sentiment: Board declared the quarterly dividend on Series D preferred shares (routine funding item for shareholders of the preferred series). Preferred Dividend Declared
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will appear at investor conferences and the company issued fixed‑to‑floating rate notes — both items increase transparency and adjust capital structure but are not material earnings drivers on their own. Investor Conferences Fixed-to-Floating Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and income investors are questioning whether the company can sustain a faster-growing common dividend after a 16% raise and the larger payout schedule. That concern can pressure the stock if investors worry about future cash flow allocation. Can American Express Keep Up With Its Swelling Dividend?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the EPS beat, some headline revenue figures and market expectations (citations in coverage) raised questions about topline momentum — investors may be selling into the news or rotating out on valuation/technical concerns. Will Strong Q1 Earnings, Card Upgrades And Asset Sale Proceeds Change AXP Narrative

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $315.95 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $215.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $273.61 and a 12-month high of $387.49. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $311.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $344.26.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total transaction of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total value of $8,346,340.35. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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