HS Management Partners LLC Invests $10.32 Million in American Express Company $AXP

HS Management Partners LLC acquired a new position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 34,129 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,323,000. American Express makes up approximately 3.6% of HS Management Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,464,215,000. Capital World Investors increased its stake in American Express by 46.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,780,424,000 after buying an additional 2,393,340 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of American Express by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,310,515,000 after buying an additional 845,283 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 73.8% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,451,606 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $438,975,000 after acquiring an additional 616,498 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,850,298 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,904,218,000 after acquiring an additional 558,533 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on AXP. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. DZ Bank raised American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $366.95.

American Express Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE AXP opened at $351.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $322.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $333.27. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $288.34 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a market capitalization of $239.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.04.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.71%.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express was highlighted in multiple articles as an attractive value and momentum stock, with Zacks and other outlets pointing to strong earnings/price momentum and undervaluation versus peers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: News that American Express is expanding its premium-card ecosystem beyond airports and into festivals and sporting events reinforces its appeal to affluent customers who generate high spending and fee revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Tripadvisor said it will sell TheFork to American Express for $700 million in cash, a deal that suggests AmEx is still actively investing to broaden its travel and membership offerings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation comparisons and sector commentary rather than a direct company-specific catalyst, including comparisons of AXP versus Intercorp Financial Services and Mastercard. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is approaching its next earnings report, with Wall Street expecting mid-single-digit EPS growth; this keeps attention on fundamentals but does not yet provide a new earnings result. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argued Mastercard may be the safer choice because it has more fee-based, risk-light economics, implicitly reminding investors that American Express carries more credit exposure and sensitivity to consumer health. Article Title

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.