American Express (NYSE:AXP) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 17.300-17.900 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 17.430. The company issued revenue guidance of $78.7 billion-$79.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $78.4 billion.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price objective on American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on American Express from $395.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $353.95.

American Express Stock Down 1.8%

American Express stock opened at $352.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $242.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.15. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $220.43 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $369.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $343.84.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). American Express had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 14.97%.The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.04 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.01%.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90 and revenue guidance roughly $78.7B–$79.5B, which sits at/above Street revenue expectations and implies mid?high single?digit growth — a key reason investors are focusing on the outlook rather than the quarterly miss.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue grew ~10% y/y and card?member spending remained strong, supporting the company’s growth narrative and the confident 2026 outlook. AXP Stock Falls Despite Revenue Beat After Q4 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a meaningful dividend increase (reported as ~16%), which is supportive for income?oriented investors and signals confidence in cash flow. American Express Posts Strong 2025 Results, Raises Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have mixed/timely coverage — some firms reiterate buy ratings citing attractive risk/reward and valuation upside, which could limit downside if results stay in-line with guidance. American Express: Attractive Risk-Reward, Solid Growth Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $3.53 slightly missed consensus (by ~$0.01–$0.04 depending on source), and some headlines emphasize the profit miss as a near?term catalyst for selling pressure. Scorecard: Grading American Express Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Rising customer?engagement and operating costs were called out on the call and in analyst notes as the main drag on margin expansion, which clouds near?term EPS trajectory. AXP Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates on Rising Customer Engagement Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk headlines (discussion of a potential credit?card rate cap) and a strategic shift to higher?fee premium cards (more marketing to Platinum vs. no?fee products) create execution and political/regulatory uncertainty that can pressure sentiment. American Express, credit card provider to the wealthy, wants even more high spenders CEO on rate cap

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Express

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at about $428,000. Howland Capital Management LLC increased its position in American Express by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $707,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in American Express by 19.9% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $924,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.