Swedbank AB Reduces Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Swedbank AB reduced its position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 360,104 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 4,880 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in American Express were worth $133,220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 153.3% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of American Express in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore set a $345.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $357.47.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sale/exit from GBT refocuses capital on AmEx’s core card business and will generate cash and a one‑time gain, improving capital flexibility for buybacks and debt reduction. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results topped expectations and management reaffirmed 2026 guidance, supporting the view that underlying card spending and margins remain solid. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management is returning capital to shareholders (large share repurchases since 2023 and a 16% dividend raise), which bolsters yield and buyback-driven EPS support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New AI training and scholarship programs for small businesses expand AmEx’s merchant/SMB relationships and product stickiness, a long‑term revenue opportunity for business services and card spend. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Preferred dividend declaration is procedural for preferred holders and has limited direct impact on common equity valuation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader payments/ travel headlines (Visa earnings beat, NYC Small Business Expo) provide context for sector trends but do not change AXP’s company‑specific catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary questions whether the faster dividend growth is sustainable over the long term given capital needs and cyclical risks — a risk for income‑sensitive investors if earnings slow. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising credit‑risk concerns at peers (e.g., commentary on Capital One) underscore industry credit vulnerability that could affect chargeoffs and margins if macro conditions deteriorate. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 8,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.73, for a total value of $2,820,301.82. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,270,704.09. This trade represents a 46.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $322.01 on Thursday. American Express Company has a 52 week low of $273.89 and a 52 week high of $387.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market cap of $219.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $311.13 and a 200-day moving average of $344.25.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The business had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

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.