Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC Cuts Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 99.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,467 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 1,736,542 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AXP. Accent Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in American Express by 1.9% in the third quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,722,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Express by 57.8% in the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,788 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,580,000 after acquiring an additional 5,053 shares in the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $445,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Strategies Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Strategies Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,264 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $752,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc boosted its position in American Express by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc now owns 55,516 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $18,440,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

American Express stock opened at $307.93 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.58. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $220.43 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $358.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $349.62. The company has a market cap of $211.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.15.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its 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). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Research analysts expect that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is currently 21.31%.

Insider Activity at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at $3,270,704.09. This represents a 46.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total value of $8,346,340.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AXP shares. Wall Street Zen lowered American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 target price on shares of American Express in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “sell” rating and set a $328.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $352.73.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large corporate real-estate move could be seen as a long-term vote of confidence in the business and NYC hub status; American Express will relocate its global HQ to 2 World Trade Center, a project that supports the firm’s long-term footprint and corporate visibility. American Express to move into new headquarters in final World Trade Center building
• Neutral Sentiment: Earlier session headlines and analyst coverage noted a rebound in AXP tied to macro / AI commentary (Nvidia CEO remarks) and mentions in listicles, but these items appear to have had only temporary upside ahead of today’s sell-off. Why the Market Dipped But American Express (AXP) Gained Today
• Negative Sentiment: Headline focus on AI-driven workforce cuts prompted fresh investor concern and selling pressure, cited in market commentary as a near-term catalyst for the drop. Is It Time to Sell American Express Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: buyers bought ~21,709 put contracts (≈31% above average), indicating elevated short-term bearish bets and hedging demand that can amplify downside. (No direct article link provided.)
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20% in February to ~8.6M shares, increasing the proportion of shares sold short and adding downward pressure risk if sentiment worsens. (Data summary provided in market feeds.)
• Negative Sentiment: Opinion / analysis pieces are flagging AXP’s YTD pullback (roughly mid-February-to-date slump and discussion of whether the fall is a buying opportunity or structural warning), which can drive momentum-based selling. American Express Has Slumped: Is It a Bargain or a Red Flag?

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.