Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Sells 15,645 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 18.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,504 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 15,645 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $26,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $236,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Bluedoor Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $515,000. 71 West Capital Partners bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter worth about $836,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 158,200 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $58,526,000 after buying an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AXP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research restated a “sell” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital initiated coverage on American Express in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $389.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $359.05.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express announced a $700 million acquisition of TheFork, expanding its European dining network and strengthening its premium experiences strategy. American Express Expands Dining Ecosystem With TheFork Acquisition From Tripadvisor
• Positive Sentiment: The deal builds on AmEx’s earlier investments in Resy and Tock, reinforcing its efforts to drive card usage and customer retention through dining and travel perks. Amex Looks to Spend $700 Million to Buy TheFork From Tripadvisor
• Neutral Sentiment: The acquisition is expected to close by late 2026, so the financial impact will take time to materialize and still depends on regulatory approvals. American Express Expands Dining Ecosystem With TheFork Acquisition From Tripadvisor
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express also rolled out other travel and sports-related benefits, including updated Delta SkyMiles perks and a Fanatics partnership, which supports the company’s broader premium value proposition. American Express Targets Travelers And Sports Fans While Shares Trade Below Estimates

American Express Trading Up 3.1%

NYSE:AXP opened at $335.55 on Tuesday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $288.34 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $316.53 and its 200-day moving average is $335.66. The firm has a market cap of $228.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.06.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced 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 business had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 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.