M&T Bank Corp Trims Stake in American Express Company $AXP

M&T Bank Corp cut its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 4.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,104 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 7,260 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in American Express were worth $52,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trajan Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 24,901 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $8,271,000 after acquiring an additional 5,881 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in American Express by 218.7% in the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,540 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,837,000 after purchasing an additional 5,860 shares during the period. ZEGA Investments LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the third quarter worth $1,080,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Express by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $531,038,000 after buying an additional 4,080 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,863 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $27,524,000 after buying an additional 8,651 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. Weiss Ratings raised American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 target price on American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $356.90.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total value of $8,346,340.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $300.16 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $344.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $348.74. The company has a market capitalization of $206.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.14. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.04 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a $0.95 dividend. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. American Express’s payout ratio is 21.31%.

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.