American Express Company $AXP Shares Acquired by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 477.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,118 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,711 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in American Express were worth $3,003,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AXP. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Express by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,712 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp raised its position in American Express by 10.0% during the third quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 308 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 808 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Express by 1.0% in the third quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express was named the Official Payments Partner of the NFL in a multi-year global deal, which should drive branded spend, card adoption and marketing reach with affluent consumer and corporate segments. American Express named official payments partner of NFL
• Positive Sentiment: AXP expanded its business card lineup with the Graphite Business Cash Unlimited card aimed at small/medium businesses — a product push that can increase card originations, spend and fee income over time. American Express Company (AXP) Expands Business Card Lineup
• Positive Sentiment: Sell-side and research write-ups (Zacks/InsiderMonkey) highlight earnings and price momentum and keep AXP on watchlists, supporting investor interest ahead of results. American Express (AXP) Boasts Earnings & Price Momentum: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect a steady, single?digit rise in Q1 earnings; upcoming quarterly results are the next catalyst and could move the stock depending on guidance/consumer spending metrics. What to Expect From American Express’ Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note consumers still pay high annual card fees for premium perks — a theme that can support AmEx’s premium card economics but also highlights sensitivity to reward-value and rates. Credit card annual fees are soaring past $800. Here’s why people keep paying them—even as perks are harder to come by
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen cut its price target on AXP from $375 to $330 and kept a Hold rating, signaling reduced upside expectations from this analyst and adding downward pressure on sentiment. TD Cowen Lowers American Express (AXP) Price Target to $330

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price target on American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays increased 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $352.95.

American Express Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $302.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $207.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $327.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.64.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The company’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.04 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 21.31%.

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.