Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 2,026 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 204,470 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 2,026 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in American Express were worth $75,644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,881,546 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,950,095,000 after purchasing an additional 146,586 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of American Express by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,122,335 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,701,435,000 after purchasing an additional 24,297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of American Express by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,452,660 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,479,019,000 after purchasing an additional 29,331 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Express by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,310,515,000 after purchasing an additional 845,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of American Express by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,483,876 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,157,204,000 after purchasing an additional 83,189 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Down 0.3%

AXP stock opened at $312.42 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $341.93. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $281.46 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $213.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.95 dividend. This is a boost from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Freedom Capital upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $357.47.

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.