6,660,940 Shares in American Express Company $AXP Purchased by Norges Bank

Norges Bank bought a new position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 6,660,940 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,464,215,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its stake in American Express by 153.3% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 target price on American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. BTIG Research restated a “sell” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays cut their target price on American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $359.05.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $316.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $215.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $312.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $338.90. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $286.15 and a 12-month high of $387.49.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.71%.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express launched a new business card aimed at niche small and midsize businesses, including interior designers, which suggests continued product expansion and a push to deepen relationships with higher-value commercial customers. American Express Targets Niche SMEs With New Interior Designer Business Card
• Positive Sentiment: American Express cardmembers can now tap and ride on more transit systems across Canada, a small but constructive sign that the company is expanding everyday payment usage and improving card utility. American Express Cardmembers Can Now Tap and Ride on More Transit Systems Across Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and conference coverage highlighted American Express at Bernstein’s strategic decisions conference and followed up on its strong first-quarter results, reinforcing the view that fundamentals remain solid even as consumers face pressure. American Express Keeps Buy Rating After Stellar Q1, Despite Clouds Over Consumer Confidence
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market activity has drawn attention, which can signal expectations for a meaningful move, but the article does not provide a clear fundamental catalyst by itself. Do Options Traders Know Something About American Express Stock We Don’t?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several items were mostly background or general-interest pieces about the company’s history, workforce, or Buffett ownership rather than immediate stock drivers. History of American Express: Company timeline & facts
• Negative Sentiment: There was no major negative company-specific news in the latest set, but broader commentary noted ongoing concerns about consumer confidence, which could temper enthusiasm if spending slows. American Express Keeps Buy Rating After Stellar Q1, Despite Clouds Over Consumer Confidence

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.