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

American Express (NYSE:AXP) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AXP shares. HSBC boosted their target price on American Express from $312.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $340.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of American Express from $415.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.63.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $324.52 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $319.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $326.03. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $290.97 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The company has a market capitalization of $219.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by $0.18. American Express had a net margin of 15.07% and a return on equity of 34.12%. The firm had revenue of $15.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.06%.

American Express News Roundup

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.

About American Express

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.