Willis Investment Counsel Buys 4,389 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Willis Investment Counsel boosted its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,065 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 4,389 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in American Express were worth $21,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Flputnam Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,879,000. State Street Corp raised its position in American Express by 40.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 40,967,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $13,857,176,000 after purchasing an additional 11,739,541 shares during the last quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth $5,172,000. Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its holdings in American Express by 14.9% during the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 41,480 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $14,030,000 after buying an additional 5,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,642,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial lowered their target price on American Express from $375.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Loop Capital cut their price target on American Express from $389.00 to $386.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on American Express in a report on Thursday, October 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $380.00 price target on the stock. President Capital lifted their price objective on American Express from $359.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on American Express from $387.00 to $391.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.63.

American Express Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of American Express stock traded up $2.96 on Tuesday, hitting $319.37. 1,935,955 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,228,330. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $320.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $325.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a one year low of $290.97 and a one year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.12. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%. The business had revenue of $14.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.70 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

American Express Profile

American Express Company is a global financial services company that provides payment, lending, travel and expense management products and services. Its offerings include consumer and small-business charge and credit cards, corporate payment programs, business financing solutions, deposit products and digital payment services.

The company operates an integrated payments network that connects card members, merchants and financial institutions. American Express also provides merchant acquisition and payment processing services, data and analytics, fraud prevention tools, and customer loyalty programs.