Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Trims Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 13.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 105,179 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 16,864 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in American Express were worth $36,004,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in American Express by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,425,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $14,808,730,000 after purchasing an additional 581,369 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Express by 11.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,487,316 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,282,984,000 after purchasing an additional 1,349,746 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Express in the second quarter valued at $1,897,335,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 3.0% in the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 4,620,873 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,473,966,000 after buying an additional 133,439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 13.9% during the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,342,556 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,385,188,000 after buying an additional 530,967 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. HSBC set a $295.00 price target on American Express and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Compass Point restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $324.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $353.95.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90 and revenue guidance roughly $78.7B–$79.5B, which sits at/above Street revenue expectations and implies mid‑high single‑digit growth — a key reason investors are focusing on the outlook rather than the quarterly miss.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue grew ~10% y/y and card‑member spending remained strong, supporting the company’s growth narrative and the confident 2026 outlook. AXP Stock Falls Despite Revenue Beat After Q4 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a meaningful dividend increase (reported as ~16%), which is supportive for income‑oriented investors and signals confidence in cash flow. American Express Posts Strong 2025 Results, Raises Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have mixed/timely coverage — some firms reiterate buy ratings citing attractive risk/reward and valuation upside, which could limit downside if results stay in-line with guidance. American Express: Attractive Risk-Reward, Solid Growth Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $3.53 slightly missed consensus (by ~$0.01–$0.04 depending on source), and some headlines emphasize the profit miss as a near‑term catalyst for selling pressure. Scorecard: Grading American Express Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Rising customer‑engagement and operating costs were called out on the call and in analyst notes as the main drag on margin expansion, which clouds near‑term EPS trajectory. AXP Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates on Rising Customer Engagement Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk headlines (discussion of a potential credit‑card rate cap) and a strategic shift to higher‑fee premium cards (more marketing to Platinum vs. no‑fee products) create execution and political/regulatory uncertainty that can pressure sentiment. American Express, credit card provider to the wealthy, wants even more high spenders CEO on rate cap

American Express Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $352.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.15. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $369.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $343.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.04 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 22.01%.

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.