American Express Company $AXP Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 577,721 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 72,882 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.08% of American Express worth $191,896,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in American Express by 153.3% during the third 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 period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total transaction of $2,820,301.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,270,704.09. The trade was a 46.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,945 shares in the company, valued at $3,189,608.10. The trade was a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore set a $393.00 target price on American Express in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $354.86.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $298.05 on Tuesday. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $387.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $342.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.92. The firm has a market cap of $204.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted 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 firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.04 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 21.31%.

American Express News Summary

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

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.