Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Position in American Express Company $AXP

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 3.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 524,359 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 20,216 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.08% of American Express worth $174,173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AXP. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the second quarter worth about $1,897,335,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Express by 31,595.9% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,742,009 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $555,666,000 after acquiring an additional 1,736,513 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,487,316 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,282,984,000 after acquiring an additional 1,349,746 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Express by 26.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,125,133 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $988,676,000 after acquiring an additional 646,039 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Provident Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 136.6% in the second quarter. Provident Trust Co. now owns 1,108,971 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $353,740,000 after purchasing an additional 640,214 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Compass Point reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $324.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $385.00 target price on American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $353.95.

Key American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY2026 EPS guidance of $17.30–$17.90 and revenue guidance roughly $78.7B–$79.5B, which sits at/above Street revenue expectations and implies mid‑high single‑digit growth — a key reason investors are focusing on the outlook rather than the quarterly miss.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue grew ~10% y/y and card‑member spending remained strong, supporting the company’s growth narrative and the confident 2026 outlook. AXP Stock Falls Despite Revenue Beat After Q4 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a meaningful dividend increase (reported as ~16%), which is supportive for income‑oriented investors and signals confidence in cash flow. American Express Posts Strong 2025 Results, Raises Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have mixed/timely coverage — some firms reiterate buy ratings citing attractive risk/reward and valuation upside, which could limit downside if results stay in-line with guidance. American Express: Attractive Risk-Reward, Solid Growth Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $3.53 slightly missed consensus (by ~$0.01–$0.04 depending on source), and some headlines emphasize the profit miss as a near‑term catalyst for selling pressure. Scorecard: Grading American Express Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Rising customer‑engagement and operating costs were called out on the call and in analyst notes as the main drag on margin expansion, which clouds near‑term EPS trajectory. AXP Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates on Rising Customer Engagement Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk headlines (discussion of a potential credit‑card rate cap) and a strategic shift to higher‑fee premium cards (more marketing to Platinum vs. no‑fee products) create execution and political/regulatory uncertainty that can pressure sentiment. American Express, credit card provider to the wealthy, wants even more high spenders CEO on rate cap

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $352.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.15. American Express Company has a 1-year low of $220.43 and a 1-year high of $387.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $369.37 and its 200 day moving average is $343.84.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.04 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.01%.

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.