Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Decreases Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Teachers Retirement System of Kentucky trimmed its stake in American Express by 17.4%, selling 29,098 shares and leaving 137,776 shares valued at about $50.97 million.
• American Express beat Q1 EPS ($4.28 vs. $4.01) but issued cautious FY2026 guidance of $17.30–$17.90 and flagged higher strategic spending, which pressured the stock.
• Dividend raised and insider selling noted: the quarterly payout was increased to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, ~1.2% yield) while insiders have sold roughly 73,944 shares (~$26.1M) in the past 90 days.

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky trimmed its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 17.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 137,776 shares of the payment services company's stock after selling 29,098 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in American Express were worth $50,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its holdings in American Express by 153.3% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company's stock.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $314.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.58. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $257.21 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $313.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $344.37. The company has a market cap of $215.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.13.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. The firm'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. Research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.54 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 $0.95 dividend. This is an increase from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express's dividend payout ratio is 24.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on AXP. Barclays cut their price target on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" 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 given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Express has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $361.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 7,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,767,480.14. This represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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)

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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