Aberdeen Group plc Reduces Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 681,172 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 26,210 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.10% of American Express worth $252,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,924,000 after buying an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 13.0% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $554,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at $428,000. Howland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Express during the 2nd quarter worth $198,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $360.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research started coverage on American Express in a report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $352.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Express news, 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $300.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $205.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.13. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $220.43 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $324.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.04 EPS. The business’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

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

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.