Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. Buys Shares of 17,509 American Express Company $AXP

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Trust Services bought a new stake of 17,509 shares of American Express (AXP) in Q4, valued at about $6.48 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 84.33% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently—insiders sold 73,944 shares worth about $26.11 million over the last 90 days—leaving insiders with only 0.14% ownership.
• Analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $350.70 amid mixed revisions, and American Express raised its quarterly dividend to $0.95 (annualized $3.80, ~1.1% yield).

Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. bought a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 17,509 shares of the payment services company's stock, valued at approximately $6,477,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its stake in American Express by 153.3% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on American Express from $367.00 to $323.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Evercore set a $393.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $350.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Trading Up 1.8%

AXP opened at $331.47 on Friday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $239.27 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $316.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $344.54. The firm has a market cap of $227.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.13.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.91 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.American Express's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business 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 is a positive change from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. American Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.69%.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of AI expense startup Hyper strengthens AmEx’s commercial services technology stack and signals accelerated investment in agentic automation for expense reporting and compliance; deal expected to close in Q2. AmEx to buy Altman-backed Hyper in push for AI-powered expense tools
• Positive Sentiment: Company is rolling out AI-driven agent and expense tools and touting “agentic commerce” capabilities — a strategic move that could expand commercial spend products, drive differentiation versus peers, and support revenue/fee growth over time. American Express Bets On AI Agents With Hyper Deal And New Tools
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and screens (Zacks) point to the ingredients for a likely Q1 earnings beat — resilient consumer and commercial spending trends and positive EPS setup — supporting near-term upside expectations. American Express (AXP) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term competitive moat argued to be resilient by investors/writers, supporting confidence in durable returns even through cyclical headwinds. American Express' Moat Is More Resistant Than What You Think
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly 13F filing shows Baxter Bros trimmed AXP by a small amount — a minor ownership change, not a large-scale sell-off. American Express Company $AXP is Baxter Bros Inc.’s 8th Largest Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Company messaging and filings point to stable credit quality with only moderate write-offs — credit trends are healthy but remain a line-item to monitor for earnings sensitivity. American Express Reports Stable Credit Quality, Moderate Write-Offs
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts urge caution ahead of Q1 — pointing to valuation, rising costs, and that AXP may not be an obvious “must-buy” before results; these views inject near-term volatility risk. American Express: Not A Pound-The-Table Buy Ahead Of Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Shares pulled back in the prior session amid mixed market action, underscoring short-term sensitivity to broader market moves and news flow. American Express (AXP) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts

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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