Osterweis Capital Management Inc. Invests $512,000 in American Express Company $AXP

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,515 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $512,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in American Express by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 874 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Dover Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,951,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Invenio Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invenio Wealth Partners LLC now owns 776 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,137 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 869 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on AXP shares. BTIG Research cut their target price on American Express from $324.00 to $315.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $382.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $328.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One research 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $373.32.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $336.14 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $343.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $326.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $227.00 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.04. American Express Company has a one year low of $290.97 and a one year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $19.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.08 earnings per share. The business’s 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, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

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.