Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 408,995 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,016,267 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 408,995 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 6.68% of American Express worth $15,284,763,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. ZEGA Investments LLC bought a new stake in American Express in the third quarter worth about $1,080,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $531,038,000 after acquiring an additional 4,080 shares during the last quarter. Elite Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,763,000. Reliant Investment Management LLC grew its position in American Express by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC now owns 26,189 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $8,354,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 0.9% during the second quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 82,883 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $26,438,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AXP shares. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Evercore ISI set a $393.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $354.78.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $337.84 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $231.96 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $347.19. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter 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. Research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY‑2026 guidance for revenue growth (~9–10%) and EPS of $17.30–$17.90 (midpoint above some analyst expectations), reinforcing the narrative of resilient premium card spending supporting earnings. AXP anticipates a strong 2026 profit (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces and a Seeking Alpha “rating upgrade” highlight AmEx as a steady compounder, calling out premium spend strength and steady guidance as reasons to consider the stock. Seeking Alpha: AXP rating upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate actions and marketing (expanded NBA partnership, ongoing premium card activation efforts) support brand engagement and higher‑yield customer spend—a longer‑term revenue positive. NBA and American Express partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend was paid (maintains yield ~0.9%); steady capital return is supportive for income‑focused holders. MarketBeat AXP dividend details
• Neutral Sentiment: Company presented at the UBS Financial Services Conference — useful detail for modeling and analyst updates but not an immediate catalyst by itself. UBS presentation (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express issued new debt to boost funding — improves liquidity/funding flexibility but raises leverage and interest‑cost exposure; market impact depends on size/terms. AXP boosts funding with new debt issuances
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sales: Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares (~$5.35M at ≈$356.58) and Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares (~$2.82M at ≈$346.73). Big, concentrated insider reductions can weigh on near‑term sentiment. Insider trades alert (InsiderTrades)
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have underperformed peers and fell in recent sessions (coverage citing CNBC/Benzinga), which can trigger sector rebalancing outflows and exacerbate declines. CNBC ‘Final Trades’ note (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have trimmed targets/ratings (Evercore/JPMorgan moves referenced), a reminder expectations are being modestly reset—analyst downgrades/target cuts can be immediate share‑price pressure. Analyst notes and PT changes (Benzinga)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

American Express Profile

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.