L2 Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

L2 Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 33.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,512 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 4,194 shares during the quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 153.3% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 210.7% during the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:AXP opened at $298.05 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $342.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $348.92. The stock has a market cap of $204.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $220.43 and a 12 month high of $387.49.

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

American Express Increases Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AXP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of American Express from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays raised their target price on American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on American Express in a report on Monday, December 8th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $354.86.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In related news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. This 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 at this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.