Hennessy Advisors Inc. Purchases New Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,584 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,227,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Flputnam Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the second quarter valued at about $12,879,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,172,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in American Express by 34.1% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 139,887 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $51,751,000 after acquiring an additional 35,533 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new stake in American Express in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,642,000. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of American Express by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 65,997 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $24,416,000 after purchasing an additional 3,855 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:AXP opened at $333.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a market capitalization of $225.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.04. American Express Company has a one year low of $290.97 and a one year high of $387.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $342.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $325.95.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.12. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%.The company had revenue of $19.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.08 EPS. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AXP. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of American Express from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $389.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on American Express from $387.00 to $391.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $373.32.

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.