Legal & General Group Plc Makes New Investment in American Express Company $AXP

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,364,536 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,138,054,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.50% of American Express at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in American Express by 6,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Sfam LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AXP shares. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on American Express from $330.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. DZ Bank upgraded American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $373.32.

American Express Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $337.38 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $343.23 and its 200 day moving average is $326.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $290.97 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.04.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $19.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.08 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

American Express Company 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.