American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $373.3158.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AXP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $328.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on American Express from $387.00 to $391.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on American Express from $322.00 to $364.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Benchmark began coverage on American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AXP. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of American Express by 32,491.3% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 269,392,448 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $91,121,996,000 after purchasing an additional 268,565,871 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter worth $14,208,662,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,464,868 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $10,900,528,000 after acquiring an additional 369,967 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,023,482 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $3,338,238,000 after acquiring an additional 141,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 8.4% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,969,555 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,695,702,000 after purchasing an additional 614,981 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of American Express stock opened at $330.61 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $223.26 billion, a PE ratio of 20.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $342.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $325.72. American Express has a one year low of $290.97 and a one year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.55.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $19.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Research analysts expect that American Express will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.