American Express Company $AXP Shares Newly Acquired by R Squared Ltd

R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,317 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,009,000. American Express makes up approximately 0.5% of R Squared Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,534 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,379,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 58.3% in the second quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 95 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 4.6% during the third quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 793 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in American Express by 1.5% during the first quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,489 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $753,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. raised its position in American Express by 0.5% in the third quarter. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. now owns 7,313 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,224,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Stephen J. Squeri sold 299,401 shares of American Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.16, for a total transaction of $99,449,036.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 60,567 shares in the company, valued at $20,117,934.72. The trade was a 83.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Laureen Seeger sold 69,860 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.17, for a total value of $22,925,956.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,954,186.34. The trade was a 88.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 414,171 shares of company stock worth $137,069,544 over the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on American Express from $396.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Evercore set a $330.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.42.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $318.50 on Friday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $290.97 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $315.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $324.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.57 billion, a PE ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.09.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.18. American Express had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 34.19%. The firm had revenue of $20.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.40%.

About American Express

American Express Company is a global payments and financial services company that operates a card-issuing business and a payments network. Its products and services include consumer, small-business and corporate cards, payment processing, lending, travel services and expense-management solutions. Founded in 1850 as an express mail business, the company expanded into financial services and became known for its charge cards and travel-related services. Today, it serves cardholders and businesses in the United States and markets around the world, connecting customers, merchants and financial institutions through its network.