American Express (NYSE:AXP) Announces FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• FY 2026 guidance: American Express issued EPS guidance of $17.60–$17.90 and revenue guidance of $79.5 billion, broadly in line with Wall Street expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: The stock carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $365.63, despite several analysts recently lowering their targets.
• Recent results and shareholder returns: American Express beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $4.68 per share versus the $4.50 consensus, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.95 per share, equivalent to a 1.2% yield.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 17.600-17.900 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 17.640. The company issued revenue guidance of $79.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $79.5 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on AXP shares. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of American Express from $389.00 to $386.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of American Express from $382.00 to $380.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Evercore set a $320.00 price target on American Express in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on American Express from $364.00 to $342.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $365.63.

American Express Stock Performance

AXP opened at $324.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.08. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $319.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $326.03. American Express has a 12-month low of $290.97 and a 12-month high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $15.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.12 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.07% and a return on equity of 34.12%. The business's revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.14 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that American Express will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. American Express's payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

More American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly performance: American Express reportedly generated third-quarter revenue of approximately $20.1 billion, up 9% year over year, while net income increased 28% to $3.7 billion and diluted EPS rose 31% to $5.42. Billed business also grew 8% on an FX-adjusted basis to $454 billion, indicating resilient card spending. American Express Q3 Revenue Reaches $20.1 Billion as EPS Rises 31%
• Positive Sentiment: Higher outlook: Management raised its full-year 2026 GAAP diluted EPS guidance to $18.30–$18.60, reinforcing the investment case and potentially supporting analyst estimate increases. Credit-loss provisions also declined to $1.0 billion from $1.3 billion a year earlier. American Express Q3 Revenue Reaches $20.1 Billion as EPS Rises 31%
• Positive Sentiment: Broader travel rewards offering: Amex is adding more than one million Airbnb listings to its Amex Travel platform, expanding travel-booking options and cardholder benefits as competition among premium card issuers intensifies. American Express brings Airbnb bookings and rewards to Amex Travel platform
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional signals: Recent filings show substantial additions and reductions by major institutional investors, suggesting active repositioning rather than a clear consensus view.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and regulatory concerns: One executive sold 8,811 shares, while separate coverage highlighted a company penalty. Neither item appears large enough to outweigh the earnings improvement, but both may limit enthusiasm.

American Express Company Profile

American Express Company is a global financial services company that provides payment, lending, travel and expense management products and services. Its offerings include consumer and small-business charge and credit cards, corporate payment programs, business financing solutions, deposit products and digital payment services.

The company operates an integrated payments network that connects card members, merchants and financial institutions. American Express also provides merchant acquisition and payment processing services, data and analytics, fraud prevention tools, and customer loyalty programs.

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