Rafferty Asset Management LLC Cuts Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 181,688 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $60,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Express by 9.2% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,109,457 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $368,517,000 after buying an additional 93,505 shares during the last quarter. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV grew its position in shares of American Express by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV now owns 2,120 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $780,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 832 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 19,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $6,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in American Express by 795.0% during the 3rd quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,065 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 946 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial decreased their price target on American Express from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $328.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $352.73.

American Express News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large corporate real-estate move could be seen as a long-term vote of confidence in the business and NYC hub status; American Express will relocate its global HQ to 2 World Trade Center, a project that supports the firm’s long-term footprint and corporate visibility. American Express to move into new headquarters in final World Trade Center building
• Neutral Sentiment: Earlier session headlines and analyst coverage noted a rebound in AXP tied to macro / AI commentary (Nvidia CEO remarks) and mentions in listicles, but these items appear to have had only temporary upside ahead of today’s sell-off. Why the Market Dipped But American Express (AXP) Gained Today
• Negative Sentiment: Headline focus on AI-driven workforce cuts prompted fresh investor concern and selling pressure, cited in market commentary as a near-term catalyst for the drop. Is It Time to Sell American Express Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: buyers bought ~21,709 put contracts (≈31% above average), indicating elevated short-term bearish bets and hedging demand that can amplify downside. (No direct article link provided.)
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20% in February to ~8.6M shares, increasing the proportion of shares sold short and adding downward pressure risk if sentiment worsens. (Data summary provided in market feeds.)
• Negative Sentiment: Opinion / analysis pieces are flagging AXP’s YTD pullback (roughly mid-February-to-date slump and discussion of whether the fall is a buying opportunity or structural warning), which can drive momentum-based selling. American Express Has Slumped: Is It a Bargain or a Red Flag?

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the firm’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 transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of American Express 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 owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $307.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $211.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $358.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $349.00. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.04 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.31%.

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.