Element Squared LLC Acquires New Position in American Express Company $AXP

Element Squared LLC bought a new position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 7,388 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,235,000. American Express makes up approximately 1.3% of Element Squared LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AXP. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,464,868 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $10,900,528,000 after purchasing an additional 369,967 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in American Express by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,023,482 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,338,238,000 after buying an additional 141,936 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in American Express by 7.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of American Express by 46.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,780,424,000 after acquiring an additional 2,393,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth $2,464,215,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express announced that U.S. card members can now redeem Membership Rewards points directly in Apple Pay checkout, expanding everyday points usage and potentially improving cardholder loyalty and spend. Amex and Apple Pay Enable Users to Pay With Points
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary highlighted American Express as a stock worth watching, with bullish write-ups citing resilient lending programs and the company’s credit performance metrics as signs of stable asset quality. Resilient Lending Programs Assert American Express Company (AXP) as a Stock to Buy for Good Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target on American Express but kept a sell rating, signaling mixed analyst sentiment rather than a clear bullish catalyst. American Express price target raised by BTIG Research
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is also building a stablecoin and blockchain partnerships team, which suggests long-term innovation efforts but is too early to have a clear near-term earnings impact. American Express Builds a Stablecoin Team With VP Role Paying Up to $282,000

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $396.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore set a $345.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.05.

American Express Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $338.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $230.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.06. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $288.34 and a 12-month high of $387.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $321.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $333.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. American Express’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.64 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

American Express 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.