Handelsbanken Fonder AB Lowers Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 206,496 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,221 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in American Express were worth $68,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in American Express by 153.3% during 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. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% during the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Express News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express announced plans to build a new, state‑of‑the‑art global headquarters at 2 World Trade Center and will be the sole owner and occupant — a high‑visibility, long‑term commitment to New York that signals confidence in growth and corporate stability. American Express to Build New State-of-the-Art Global Headquarters at 2 World Trade Center, Deepening Commitment to Lower Manhattan
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noted AXP outperformed the digital payments group over the past year and analysts remain cautiously optimistic — a factor that can draw relative‑value buying when broader markets wobble. How Is American Express’ Stock Performance Compared to Other Digital Payments Stocks?
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted why AXP gained while the broader market dipped — upbeat corporate messaging, solid fundamentals (recent revenue growth and FY‑2026 EPS guidance) and investor interest in buybacks/capital returns support the stock. Why the Market Dipped But American Express (AXP) Gained Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces revisited AXP’s 2025 results and management’s guidance (high single‑digit revenue growth and mid‑teens EPS growth for 2026) — supportive long‑term but already partly priced in; the stock has lagged YTD, which some investors view as a buying opportunity. American Express Stock Has Fallen 12% in 2026. Time to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Product coverage (e.g., Plum Card review) and design/architectural press on the new HQ add PR visibility but are unlikely to move fundamentals near term. The Plum Card from American Express review: Opt for cash back or float
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest in AXP rose ~20% in February (about 8.6M shares short, ~1.3% of float), which increases downside pressure if sentiment deteriorates and can amplify volatility. (Source: short‑interest release)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AXP. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price objective on American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. BTIG Research restated a “sell” rating and set a $328.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on American Express from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $352.73.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $335.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $359.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.92. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $220.43 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.04 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. The trade was a 57.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last ninety days. Corporate 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.