American Express Company $AXP Stake Reduced by Smead Capital Management Inc.

Smead Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 7.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 821,852 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 62,880 shares during the period. American Express comprises 5.3% of Smead Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Smead Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $272,986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AXP. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 153.3% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 210.7% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded AXP to a Buy, providing fresh broker support that likely boosted investor confidence and buying interest. American Express (AXP) Receives a Buy from Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses highlighting healthier January credit metrics and a valuation check have reduced near-term credit risk concerns and supported the stock’s earnings outlook. American Express (AXP) Valuation Check After Healthier January Credit Metrics
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from independent outlets (Seeking Alpha, The Motley Fool) continues to frame AXP as a durable, long-term growth and dividend name, reinforcing bullish investor sentiment. American Express Outlook Remains Positive Despite Recent Volatility
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader analyst insight pieces discuss the financial sector generally and include AXP in comparative coverage—useful context but not an immediate catalyst by itself. Analysts Offer Insights on Financial Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market coverage (Dow weakness amid geopolitical tensions) is weighing on risk appetite broadly; this could limit upside for payment stocks even as company-specific news is positive. Stock Market Today: Dow Drops Amid U.S.-Iran Tensions; Warren Buffett Berkshire Holding Soars (Live Coverage)
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that American Express dropped specific board diversity criteria alongside other large firms have attracted negative ESG and reputational attention; this could draw activist scrutiny and pressure some institutional investors. American Express, Deere Drop Board Diversity Criteria as 78% Disclosure Rate Falls

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AXP. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore set a $393.00 price objective on American Express in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “sell” rating and issued a $328.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $352.73.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. The trade was a 46.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Trading Up 1.0%

American Express stock opened at $345.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $237.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $364.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $348.09. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The business’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.04 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.31%.

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.