American Express (NYSE:AXP) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $377.98 and last traded at $375.8960, with a volume of 1925488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $363.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research started coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Compass Point reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $324.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, October 20th. HSBC set a $295.00 price target on American Express and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. DZ Bank raised American Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of American Express from $330.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $332.65.

American Express Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $258.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $351.72 and its 200-day moving average is $326.68.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $17.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.49 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. Analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 10th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 22.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Douglas Tabish sold 2,515 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.61, for a total transaction of $894,359.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $894,359.15. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.73, for a total transaction of $1,753,650.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,726 shares in the company, valued at $2,709,739.98. This trade represents a 39.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 57,515 shares of company stock worth $20,658,509 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Express

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Express by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,712 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 308 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 1.0% during the third quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Express by 2.1% during the third quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,378 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invenio Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in American Express by 3.9% during the third quarter. Invenio Wealth Partners LLC now owns 776 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About American Express

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.