American Express Company $AXP Stock: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Raises Holdings

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 9.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 66,089 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,741 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in American Express were worth $20,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 0.8% in the third quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,534 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Express by 1.9% during the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,878 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 58.3% during the second quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 95 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 4.6% during the third quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 793 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 1.5% during the first quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,489 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $753,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express and Fanatics launched a co-branded card aimed at sports fans, connecting Membership Rewards points with Fanatics FanCash and offering sports-related experiences and merchandise benefits. The partnership could deepen customer engagement and broaden AXP’s reach; its contribution to revenue and profits is not yet clear. Article: American Express unveils sports rewards card tied to fan loyalty
• Positive Sentiment: American Express Canada and Marriott Bonvoy are adding a no-annual-fee card, scheduled to launch in February 2027, and enhancing existing co-branded cards with complimentary Gold Elite status. The expanded lineup may help attract and retain cardholders, although the new product is a future launch. Article: American Express and Marriott Bonvoy expand Canadian card portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express rose 28 places to No. 42 on the Roundtable 100. The improved ranking is favorable brand recognition, but the article does not identify a direct near-term financial impact. Article: American Express jumps 28 places on the Roundtable 100
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis notes that growth in premium-card fees could be offset by rising rewards, benefits and marketing expenses. The concern is whether AXP can turn premium-card momentum into stronger profits. Article: Can American Express turn premium card growth into higher profits?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. President Capital upped their price objective on American Express from $359.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on American Express from $396.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered their target price on American Express from $315.00 to $230.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.22.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $323.67 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $290.97 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The company has a market cap of $217.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.22, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50-day moving average is $315.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $325.25.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.18. American Express had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 34.19%. The company had revenue of $20.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.14 EPS. American Express’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.98 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Laureen Seeger sold 69,860 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.17, for a total transaction of $22,925,956.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,954,186.34. The trade was a 88.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 299,401 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.16, for a total value of $99,449,036.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 60,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,117,934.72. This trade represents a 83.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 414,171 shares of company stock valued at $137,069,544. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About American Express

American Express Company is a global payments and financial services company that operates a card-issuing business and a payments network. Its products and services include consumer, small-business and corporate cards, payment processing, lending, travel services and expense-management solutions. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company expanded into financial services and became known for its charge cards and travel-related services. Today, it serves cardholders and businesses in the United States and markets around the world, connecting customers, merchants and financial institutions through its network.