American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co trimmed its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 110,935 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,700 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in American Express were worth $41,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its position in shares of American Express by 153.3% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $319.74 on Monday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $218.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $311.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $344.36. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $273.10 and a 1 year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The business’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 firm earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares in the company, valued at $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 over the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AXP. Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. BTIG Research reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore set a $345.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday. Eight 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $357.47.

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.