First Bank & Trust Takes Position in American Express Company $AXP

First Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 6,065 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,244,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its holdings in American Express by 153.3% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% during the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. The trade was a 62.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 9,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. The trade was a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Launched the new Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card — unlimited 2% cash back (5% on travel via AmEx Travel) in a premium metal design; part of a broader commercial product push that could boost card adoption and spend from small/medium businesses. American Express Unveils New Graphite Business Card
• Positive Sentiment: Company says 2026 will be its most significant year for commercial product expansion — eight new/enhanced products (expense management, corporate cash back, business membership) aimed at growing commercial revenue and stickiness. This signals a multi‑year growth push in higher‑value commercial customers. American Express Launches Graphite Business Card — commercial expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Product refresh for business cards introduces eight enhanced features including AI capabilities — could improve product competitiveness and user engagement as AI-enabled services gain traction. AmEx refreshes business card line with AI features
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Stephen Squeri’s annual shareholder letter highlights strong 2025 performance and a strategic focus on AI and “agentic commerce” (services that transact on customers’ behalf), positioning AmEx to capture new payment flows and deepen commercial relationships. Squeri highlights 2025 and AI strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry coverage point to continued momentum in AmEx’s U.S. Consumer Services unit (younger users, rising spend, solid credit trends), supporting longer‑term revenue and margin growth. How AmEx’s U.S. Consumer Services Unit Sustains Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and price‑prediction pieces are mixed; some outlets publish forecasts and valuation takes that may influence sentiment but contain varying assumptions. AXP Stock Price Prediction
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a view that AmEx is fairly valued despite spending pressures (an upgrade), reflecting divergent analyst opinions that can mute strong directional moves. Seeking Alpha: Fairly Valued Despite Spending Pressures (Upgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Truist lowered its price target on AXP to $360, a reminder that some sell‑side analysts see upside capped near current levels; analyst downgrades/target cuts often pressure the stock near re‑rating events. Truist Lowers AXP Price Target to $360

American Express Price Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $300.23 on Thursday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $332.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $347.27. The firm has a market cap of $206.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.04 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AXP. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, March 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $352.95.

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.