BTIG Research Reaffirms Sell Rating for American Express (NYSE:AXP)

American Express (NYSE:AXP)‘s stock had its “sell” rating restated by BTIG Research in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $285.00 target price on the payment services company’s stock. BTIG Research’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 9.26% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings cut American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $361.05.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $314.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $215.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.13. American Express has a twelve month low of $257.21 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $313.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $344.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The company had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.64 EPS. American Express’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 17.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the company’s 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 directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This represents a 57.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Express

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AXP. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Express by 0.8% in the third quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,712 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp increased its position in shares of American Express by 10.0% during the third quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 308 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $465,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 808 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $967,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on profit and revenue — AXP reported EPS of $4.28, above estimates, and revenue roughly $18.9B with cardmember spending the strongest in three years; these fundamentals underpin long-term earnings power. American Express beats profit estimates (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Premium customer strength — Amex is seeing accelerated luxury and travel spending from affluent and younger cardholders, supporting fee income and premium-product growth. Cardholder spending picks up (MarketWatch)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic commercial wins — New partnerships (including the NFL deal) and product expansion are cited as drivers of revenue growth and customer engagement. NFL deal boosts revenue (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst move — Bank of America raised its price target to $387 and kept a buy rating, signaling upside from current levels for longer-term holders. BofA raises AXP PT (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/product tie-ups — Amex is embedding Resy into Anthropic’s Claude in a product partnership that could enhance customer experience but is not an immediate earnings driver. Resy-Anthropic pact (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary — Several outlets note AXP as a quality core holding (RBC) even as some firms debate relative upside vs. growth-oriented payments names; this leaves consensus views split. RBC view (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious FY2026 outlook — Management set EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90, slightly below consensus, which traders interpreted as guidance conservatism and capped upside. Q1 beat but cautious outlook (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Higher investment and expense plans — Management flagged increased strategic spending (technology, marketing), which pressured near-term margins and contributed to the weak market reaction. Spending plans raise concern (Proactive Investors)
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analyst moves — BTIG reaffirmed a sell rating with a $285 PT and JPMorgan previously trimmed its target; these calls add downward pressure and reduce near-term conviction. BTIG sell, JPMorgan cut (Benzinga/InsiderMonkey)
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical caution — Middle East tensions and softer futures dampened overall market appetite for cyclicals, amplifying the stock’s decline despite good quarter-level results. Geopolitics weigh on markets (Zacks)

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.