Balefire LLC Purchases 1,955 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Balefire LLC increased its position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 86.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,216 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,955 shares during the period. Balefire LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,420,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in American Express during the second quarter worth about $14,208,662,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of American Express by 40.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 40,967,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $13,857,176,000 after purchasing an additional 11,739,541 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of American Express by 8.4% in the 2nd 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. Nuveen LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 5,172,484 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,913,560,000 after buying an additional 293,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,806,554 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,778,185,000 after buying an additional 83,083 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $308.18. 2,578,733 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,248,135. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $290.97 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The stock has a market cap of $208.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $325.07 and its 200-day moving average is $324.99.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.12. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%.The business had revenue of $14.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.67 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.06%.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: BMO initiated coverage with a $380 price target, while Royal Bank of Canada maintained an Outperform rating and lowered its target from $415 to $400. Analysts cited continued growth in American Express’s premium customer base and the company’s ability to sustain revenue and earnings expansion despite intensifying competition. American Express Has More Room to Run Despite Rising Competition, Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: American Express launched a new corporate platform and continues investing in business and merchant tools, including guidance on how companies can use artificial intelligence. These initiatives could support corporate spending and strengthen longer-term customer relationships. American Express Launches New Corporate Platform
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is scheduled to report quarterly results on October 23. Investors will look for evidence that premium-card growth, spending trends and earnings guidance can offset the regulatory setback. The company previously reported earnings above expectations and maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $17.30 to $17.90.
• Negative Sentiment: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Reserve fined American Express $350 million and issued regulatory orders over significant anti-money-laundering control failures. Regulators said inadequate resources, inexperienced personnel, weak training and internal-control gaps left approximately $13 billion in potentially suspicious activity insufficiently monitored or reported over nearly 11 years. The penalty creates a direct financial cost and raises concerns about compliance spending, reputational damage and potential additional oversight. OCC Assesses $350 Million Civil Money Penalty Against American Express

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on American Express from $384.00 to $345.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Evercore set a $320.00 price objective on American Express in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $340.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of American Express from $389.00 to $386.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $364.52.

American Express Company Profile

American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) is a global financial services company that provides payment, lending, travel and related products to consumers, small businesses and corporate customers. Its offerings include consumer and business charge and credit cards, payment solutions, commercial financing, deposit products and rewards programs.

American Express also operates a worldwide merchant network and provides businesses with payment acceptance services, transaction-processing capabilities and data-driven marketing solutions.