American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Short Interest Up 14.3% in February

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 9,850,572 shares, a growth of 14.3% from the February 12th total of 8,616,704 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 4,723,051 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 4,723,051 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management momentum and shareholder return — A recent Motley Fool piece highlights AXP’s strong top- and bottom-line momentum and its 16% dividend increase, reinforcing the yield + growth story that supports longer-term investor interest. 1 Top Dividend Stock to Buy With Double-Digit Dividend and Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Stable credit trends — American Express reported mostly stable U.S. consumer and small-business credit metrics in a recent update, which eases concerns about charge-offs or sudden credit deterioration. American Express Reports Stable Credit Metrics Amid Modest Decline
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains — Bank of America reiterated a Buy on AXP (only a $1 cut to its target), signaling continued sell-side conviction after February operating results. This helps cap downside from short-term selling. Bank of America Sees Stable Credit Trends in American Express (AXP) Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views — Recent Globe and Mail pieces summarize conflicted analyst takes on AXP (some bullish on fundamentals, some cautious on valuation), leaving consensus directionally positive but with dispersion. Analysts Offer Insights on Financial Companies: American Express (AXP) and Cboe Global Markets (CBOE)
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate — Coverage from Zacks/Yahoo highlights that AXP trades at a premium to peers but is near its own historical median; this keeps the stock in a debate between growth-premium supporters and value-minded sellers. Is American Express a Buy Now Despite its Premium Valuation?
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy put-option activity — Traders purchased an unusually large volume of AXP put options this week, suggesting some speculative or hedged bearish positioning that can amplify downside intraday. Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of American Express Put Options (NYSE:AXP)
• Negative Sentiment: Research downgrade pressure — BTIG published a pessimistic forecast for AXP’s share price, which likely adds to near-term selling pressure from tactical traders. BTIG Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for American Express (NYSE:AXP) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Technical headwinds — the stock is trading below its 50- and 200-day moving averages, a signal that can trigger technical selling until buyers reassert control.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Express

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Trajan Wealth LLC grew its position in American Express by 30.9% during the third quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 24,901 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $8,271,000 after acquiring an additional 5,881 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 218.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,540 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,837,000 after purchasing an additional 5,860 shares during the period. ZEGA Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,080,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,598,743 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $531,038,000 after purchasing an additional 4,080 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,863 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $27,524,000 after purchasing an additional 8,651 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price target on American Express in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Evercore set a $393.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BTIG Research dropped their price target on shares of American Express from $328.00 to $285.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $354.86.

American Express Stock Down 0.9%

American Express stock traded down $2.60 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $297.68. 728,258 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,660,989. The company has a fifty day moving average of $340.70 and a 200-day moving average of $348.70. The company has a market cap of $204.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. American Express has a twelve month low of $220.43 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.04 EPS. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.69%.

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.