Great Lakes Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Great Lakes Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 331,219 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 9,889 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $122,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. Norges Bank purchased a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,464,215,000. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in American Express by 46.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,780,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393,340 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in American Express by 27.0% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,310,515,000 after purchasing an additional 845,283 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in American Express by 23.9% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,787,580 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $925,449,000 after purchasing an additional 537,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in American Express during the third quarter valued at approximately $153,292,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Evercore set a $345.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. BTIG Research reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $389.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $359.05.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $318.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $217.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $315.36 and its 200 day moving average is $336.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $286.15 and a 52-week high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. American Express’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.71%.

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.