Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 72,945 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 4.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,449,965 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 72,945 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $438,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AXP. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $368.50.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on American Express to $386 from $340, implying meaningful upside from current levels, even while keeping a neutral stance. Benzinga report on UBS target hike
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays lifted its target to $364 from $322, reflecting improved expectations for AXP and signaling continued analyst confidence in the stock. Benzinga report on Barclays target hike
• Positive Sentiment: Other commentary highlighted solid spending growth, rising revenue, and expanding digital capabilities, suggesting American Express is still executing well operationally. Yahoo Finance article on American Express fundamentals
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles pointed to options-market activity that could indicate traders are positioning for a larger move in AXP, which may be supportive if sentiment turns positive. Yahoo Finance options market article
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen also nudged its target higher to $338, but kept a hold rating, reinforcing a broadly cautious-but-not-bearish Street view. Benzinga report on TD Cowen target hike
• Negative Sentiment: Shares fell more than the broader market in the latest session, indicating investors are taking profits or rotating out despite the supportive analyst updates. Zacks market move article
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s reported credit-card change could be a reminder of competitive and partnership risks in the card ecosystem, though the direct impact on American Express is unclear. TheStreet Costco credit card change article

American Express Trading Down 3.8%

NYSE:AXP opened at $336.29 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $324.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $332.29. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $288.34 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.04.

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

American Express Announces Dividend

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 given 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 is currently 23.71%.

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.