Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,016,267 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 408,995 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.07% of American Express worth $15,284,763,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 153.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Express

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 transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 in the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AXP. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Compass Point reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $324.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $354.78.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY‑2026 guidance for revenue growth (~9–10%) and EPS of $17.30–$17.90 (midpoint above some analyst expectations), reinforcing the narrative of resilient premium card spending supporting earnings. AXP anticipates a strong 2026 profit (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces and a Seeking Alpha “rating upgrade” highlight AmEx as a steady compounder, calling out premium spend strength and steady guidance as reasons to consider the stock. Seeking Alpha: AXP rating upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate actions and marketing (expanded NBA partnership, ongoing premium card activation efforts) support brand engagement and higher‑yield customer spend—a longer‑term revenue positive. NBA and American Express partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend was paid (maintains yield ~0.9%); steady capital return is supportive for income‑focused holders. MarketBeat AXP dividend details
• Neutral Sentiment: Company presented at the UBS Financial Services Conference — useful detail for modeling and analyst updates but not an immediate catalyst by itself. UBS presentation (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express issued new debt to boost funding — improves liquidity/funding flexibility but raises leverage and interest‑cost exposure; market impact depends on size/terms. AXP boosts funding with new debt issuances
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sales: Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares (~$5.35M at ≈$356.58) and Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares (~$2.82M at ≈$346.73). Big, concentrated insider reductions can weigh on near‑term sentiment. Insider trades alert (InsiderTrades)
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have underperformed peers and fell in recent sessions (coverage citing CNBC/Benzinga), which can trigger sector rebalancing outflows and exacerbate declines. CNBC ‘Final Trades’ note (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have trimmed targets/ratings (Evercore/JPMorgan moves referenced), a reminder expectations are being modestly reset—analyst downgrades/target cuts can be immediate share‑price pressure. Analyst notes and PT changes (Benzinga)

American Express Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $337.84 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $231.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $367.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $347.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.04 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 21.31%.

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.