American Express Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:AXP)

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 43,272 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 140% compared to the average daily volume of 18,047 put options.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company expanding cardmember benefits and partnerships in key markets (NY/NJ, Atlanta), supporting engagement and card spend trends which underpin revenue growth. American Express Expands Card Member Benefits
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term demand signals: coverage pieces note younger consumer sign-ups and management’s mid-teens EPS growth target, reinforcing the company’s franchise strength and customer-acquisition pipeline. Is American Express Stock a Millionaire Maker?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate continues — AXP trades above industry multiples but below its own five‑year median; analysts differ on whether the premium is justified by durable spending and earnings growth. Is American Express a Buy Now Despite its Premium Valuation?
• Neutral Sentiment: Deeper valuation analysis: Zacks highlights AXP’s forward P/E well above peers but near its historical median, keeping the narrative mixed for value-focused investors. Zacks Valuation Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Credit metrics update: American Express reported largely stable credit metrics with some modest declines, suggesting asset-quality remains manageable but monitoring is warranted. TipRanks Credit Metrics Update
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put activity: traders bought ~43,272 put options today (≈+140% vs. average), signaling heightened bearish hedging/speculation that can amplify near-term downside.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cut: BTIG lowered its price target to $285 and moved to a “sell” rating, adding downward pressure by creating renewed sell-side skepticism. BTIG Price Target Cut (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive threat: Robinhood’s planned platinum credit card rollout raises competitive concerns around customer acquisition and fee/rewards dynamics, which may worry investors focused on share gains and margin pressure. Robinhood Card Competitive Threat

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of American Express 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 directly owned 9,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its position in shares of American Express by 153.3% in 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. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in American Express by 6,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sfam LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Evercore set a $393.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $354.86.

American Express Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:AXP opened at $298.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.15. American Express has a 52 week low of $220.43 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $342.37 and a 200 day moving average of $348.92.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

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

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.