American Express (NYSE:AXP) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Freedom Capital

Freedom Capital upgraded shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

AXP has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Evercore set a $345.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $357.47.

American Express Price Performance

AXP stock opened at $313.69 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $214.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08. 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 has a 12-month low of $281.46 and a 12-month high of $387.49. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $310.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $342.41.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Express will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in American Express by 6,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Sfam LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth about $27,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.