Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC Buys 2,228 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,291 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,228 shares during the period. American Express comprises approximately 1.9% of Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $12,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 153.3% in the third 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. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in American Express during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new position in American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed a Buy on AXP, citing the company’s underlying growth despite rising costs after Q4 — this supports upside expectations from analysts who focus on AmEx’s margin and card‑member trends. Truist Maintains Buy Rating on American Express
• Positive Sentiment: AmEx launched a Flexible Payment Option for small businesses (instant line of credit), which can expand payment volume and merchant relationships — a growth catalyst for loan receivables and fees. AmEx Debuts Flexible Payments for Small Businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are reassessing AXP’s valuation after double‑digit revenue and earnings growth in the latest quarter and a FY‑2026 EPS guide that implies upside vs. some street estimates. That narrative supports the current uptick. Assessing American Express (AXP) Valuation After Strong Double Digit Revenue And Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple news services report that brokerages’ consensus rating is Hold, reflecting mixed views — steady fundamentals but limited near‑term upside per some firms. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird and other outlets reiterate cautious/hold stances; analysts remain broadly optimistic on long‑term cash flows but cautious on near‑term multiples. Robert W. Baird Keeps Their Hold Rating on American Express (AXP)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and comparisons (e.g., GBOOY vs AXP) keep AXP on investors’ radar for relative value, but don’t shift consensus decisively. GBOOY or AXP: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: A Fool.com piece questions whether AXP is a buy given recent underperformance versus the broader market, a narrative that can cap enthusiasm and limit multiple expansion. Is American Express a Buy, Sell, or Hold in 2026?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AXP. Barclays raised their price objective on American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Compass Point reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $324.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $353.05.

American Express Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of American Express stock opened at $359.26 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $368.52 and a 200-day moving average of $345.13. The stock has a market cap of $247.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.34, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.14. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.68.

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

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is 21.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.