Horizon Investment Services LLC Invests $4.15 Million in American Express Company $AXP

Horizon Investment Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,261 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,147,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at $2,464,215,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth $1,263,787,000. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 46.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,780,424,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393,340 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in shares of American Express by 350.0% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,236,438 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $373,998,000 after purchasing an additional 961,698 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of American Express by 73.8% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,451,606 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $438,975,000 after purchasing an additional 616,498 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded virtual-card capabilities: AXP is making American Express Virtual Cards available through its @ Work platform for U.S. corporate customers. The products offer adjustable spending limits, enhanced fraud protection and easier expense management, potentially increasing commercial-payment volumes and customer retention. American Express expands virtual cards for US commercial customers
• Positive Sentiment: Premium travel ecosystem strengthened: American Express added 350 luxury hotels across 116 countries to the Platinum Card travel program. More curated booking options could improve the value proposition of its premium cards, support spending and help justify annual fees. American Express adds 350 luxury hotels to Platinum Card travel program
• Positive Sentiment: Evidence of loyalty-driven spending: United Airlines’ results highlighted how American Express perks can help capture premium travel spending, even without a United co-branded card. The example supports AXP’s broader strategy of using travel benefits and partnerships to attract affluent customers. Popular legacy airline captures premium spend because of American Express perks
• Positive Sentiment: Constructive analyst outlook: Piper Sandler forecast meaningful appreciation potential for AXP shares, providing a positive signal following the company’s recent earnings beat and continued revenue growth. Piper Sandler Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Express Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital structure update: AXP issued Series E preferred shares and announced full redemption of Series D preferred shares. The move may improve funding flexibility, but it also adds preferred financing obligations and has limited direct impact on common-share earnings. American Express Issues New Series E Preferred Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst sentiment: Coverage of AXP showed differing views, suggesting valuation and expectations remain areas of debate despite the company’s strong operating trends. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on American Express

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $328.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC raised their target price on shares of American Express from $312.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $373.32.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $342.27 on Monday. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $290.97 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $231.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $341.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $327.33.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $14.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.70 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.08 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

American Express Company 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.