Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in American Express Company $AXP

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 82,863 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 8,651 shares during the period. American Express accounts for approximately 0.5% of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $27,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Express by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,712 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,233,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in American Express by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 308 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $967,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 2.1% in the third quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,378 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Cove Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Express by 2.1% in the third quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 1,462 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express announced plans to build a new, state‑of‑the‑art global headquarters at 2 World Trade Center and will be the sole owner and occupant — a high‑visibility, long‑term commitment to New York that signals confidence in growth and corporate stability. American Express to Build New State-of-the-Art Global Headquarters at 2 World Trade Center, Deepening Commitment to Lower Manhattan
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noted AXP outperformed the digital payments group over the past year and analysts remain cautiously optimistic — a factor that can draw relative‑value buying when broader markets wobble. How Is American Express’ Stock Performance Compared to Other Digital Payments Stocks?
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted why AXP gained while the broader market dipped — upbeat corporate messaging, solid fundamentals (recent revenue growth and FY‑2026 EPS guidance) and investor interest in buybacks/capital returns support the stock. Why the Market Dipped But American Express (AXP) Gained Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces revisited AXP’s 2025 results and management’s guidance (high single‑digit revenue growth and mid‑teens EPS growth for 2026) — supportive long‑term but already partly priced in; the stock has lagged YTD, which some investors view as a buying opportunity. American Express Stock Has Fallen 12% in 2026. Time to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Product coverage (e.g., Plum Card review) and design/architectural press on the new HQ add PR visibility but are unlikely to move fundamentals near term. The Plum Card from American Express review: Opt for cash back or float
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest in AXP rose ~20% in February (about 8.6M shares short, ~1.3% of float), which increases downside pressure if sentiment deteriorates and can amplify volatility. (Source: short‑interest release)

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $335.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $230.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.59. American Express Company has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $387.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $359.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.92.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.54 by ($0.01). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.04 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 21.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total transaction of $8,346,340.35. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. This represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total transaction of $5,348,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 over the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AXP. Credit Suisse Group set a $328.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, January 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $352.73.

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.