Empire Financial Management Company LLC Reduces Position in American Express Company $AXP

Empire Financial Management Company LLC decreased its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 13.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,087 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 1,947 shares during the period. Empire Financial Management Company LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $3,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AXP. State Street Corp lifted its position in American Express by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,464,868 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $10,900,528,000 after purchasing an additional 369,967 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in American Express by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,023,482 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,338,238,000 after buying an additional 141,936 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in American Express by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,850,298 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,904,218,000 after buying an additional 558,533 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of American Express by 46.7% in 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 buying an additional 2,393,340 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,464,215,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Express News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is improving. KBW and Deutsche Bank both assigned Buy ratings to AXP, helping reinforce the view that the recent pullback has created an attractive entry point. American Express Receives a Buy from KBW American Express Gets a Buy from Deutsche Bank
• Positive Sentiment: Card spending and revenue momentum remain healthy. American Express raised its 2026 revenue-growth outlook to 10%, citing continued spending strength. Management plans to reinvest operating gains in customers, technology and strategic capabilities, which analysts view as supportive of longer-term growth. AXP Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Reinvestment Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings exceeded expectations. AXP reported quarterly EPS of $4.53 versus the $4.41 consensus, while revenue increased 10% year over year. Analysts also highlighted resilient spending among premium cardholders and maintained optimistic long-term views. American Express Revenue Momentum Could Drive Higher Reinvestment
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation opinions are mixed. One analysis found meaningful upside using an excess-returns model, supported by product changes and partnerships, but noted that AXP’s strong five-year performance has already priced in much of its business strength. Jefferies continues to rate the shares Hold. American Express Stock Still Looks Below Fair Value Today
• Negative Sentiment: Expenses and guidance quality remain concerns. Although earnings beat estimates, analysts cited weaker-than-expected sales and 2026 sales guidance slightly below consensus. Higher reinvestment and operating costs could limit near-term margin expansion. Analysts Cut Forecasts Following Q2 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious. BTIG downgraded AXP to Sell and lowered its price target to $315, while separate commentary argued investors should wait for a better entry point. BTIG American Express Rating Update

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on American Express from $385.00 to $382.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $324.00 to $315.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $372.95.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $336.51 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $333.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $329.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $288.34 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $227.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.04.

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

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 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.