Elefante Mark B Grows Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Elefante Mark B boosted its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 72.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,508 shares of the payment services company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the quarter. Elefante Mark B’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new position in American Express during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. This trade 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 this link. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $341.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $234.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $364.73 and its 200 day moving average is $347.76. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.04 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Evercore set a $393.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on American Express from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $352.73.

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.