American Express Company $AXP Shares Acquired by Covea Finance

Covea Finance boosted its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 23.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 108,000 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,700 shares during the quarter. American Express comprises 1.3% of Covea Finance’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Covea Finance’s holdings in American Express were worth $39,955,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Express by 153.3% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its position in American Express by 210.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings raised American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $354.86.

American Express Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of AXP stock opened at $294.76 on Friday. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $220.43 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. The business’s fifty day moving average is $335.64 and its 200-day moving average is $347.69. The stock has a market cap of $202.38 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.04 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued 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 currently 24.69%.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend by ~16% and is pushing digital initiatives and partnerships that expand premium customer perks and corporate product integrations — supports recurring revenue and shareholder returns. How Amex’s Dividend Hike And Digital Push At American Express (AXP) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: AmEx expanded its corporate product by adding virtual card features for SAP Concur clients — a sales motion that can increase fee revenue and stickiness in corporate spend. Amex soups up cards for Concur
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentators (Barron’s, The Motley Fool) argue the pullback creates a buying opportunity for long-term investors, citing AmEx’s premium brand, strong returns on equity, and Berkshire Hathaway support — helps buoy contrarian demand. Visa, Mastercard and American Express Have Gotten Roughed Up. The Case for Buying the Dip.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces consider AXP among top financial stocks to own if rates become volatile due to geopolitical risk (Iran)—this frames AXP as resilient but is macro-dependent. Is American Express (AXP) The Best Financial Stock to Buy Amid Potential Interest Rate Volatility Coming Due to Iran War
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/tech news (BrightQuery joining FINOS) and an unrelated insurer earnings release were picked up in feeds but have no direct, material impact on AmEx fundamentals. BrightQuery Becomes Gold Member of FINOS, the Fintech Open Source Foundation, and Joins Governing Board
• Negative Sentiment: Governance pressure: the National Legal and Policy Center and anti‑DEI activists have successfully pushed some companies (including calls at firms like AmEx) to remove DEI from board selection processes — heightens regulatory/shareholder friction and could create headline risk. After notable victories, anti-DEI shareholders turn sights on Trump’s SEC
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction pieces note recent share weakness and larger-than-market declines in recent sessions — short-term sentiment and positioning (profit-taking, lower multiple) have pressured the stock. Here’s Why American Express (AXP) Fell More Than Broader Market

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,270,704.09. The trade was a 46.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. The trade was a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.