Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. Has $5.08 Million Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. lowered its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 67.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,732 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 27,858 shares during the period. American Express comprises 0.6% of Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in American Express were worth $5,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hemenway Trust Co LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 39.8% during the 4th quarter. Hemenway Trust Co LLC now owns 43,816 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $16,210,000 after purchasing an additional 12,477 shares in the last quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $221,000. Heartland Bank & Trust Co raised its holdings in American Express by 405.1% during the 4th quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,157 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after buying an additional 2,532 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 818,057 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $302,640,000 after buying an additional 208,769 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $357.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. The trade was a 62.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

More American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sale of remaining ~30% stake in Global Business Travel (GBT) will unlock cash and an expected pre?tax gain, providing ammunition for buybacks/dividends and reducing exposure to travel services. AmEx’s GBT Exit and Q1 Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed an EPS beat and management reaffirmed 2026 guidance — evidence of earnings resilience that supports the stock’s capital-return plans. AmEx’s Q1 Beat / Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Airfare inflation and tighter flight capacity are pushing consumers toward cheaper alternatives and rewards programs — a macro tailwind for card spend and loyalty benefits that favor networks like AmEx. Airfares Jump 15%
• Neutral Sentiment: Board declared the quarterly dividend on Series D preferred shares (routine funding item for shareholders of the preferred series). Preferred Dividend Declared
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will appear at investor conferences and the company issued fixed?to?floating rate notes — both items increase transparency and adjust capital structure but are not material earnings drivers on their own. Investor Conferences Fixed-to-Floating Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and income investors are questioning whether the company can sustain a faster-growing common dividend after a 16% raise and the larger payout schedule. That concern can pressure the stock if investors worry about future cash flow allocation. Can American Express Keep Up With Its Swelling Dividend?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the EPS beat, some headline revenue figures and market expectations (citations in coverage) raised questions about topline momentum — investors may be selling into the news or rotating out on valuation/technical concerns. Will Strong Q1 Earnings, Card Upgrades And Asset Sale Proceeds Change AXP Narrative

American Express Price Performance

NYSE AXP opened at $315.95 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $311.11 and its 200-day moving average is $344.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a market capitalization of $215.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $273.61 and a 12-month high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The business had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.71%.

American Express Company 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.