American Express (NYSE:AXP) Raised to Strong-Buy at Piper Sandler

American Express (NYSE:AXP) was upgraded by equities researchers at Piper Sandler to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on AXP. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.05.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $338.15 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $321.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $333.62. The company has a market cap of $230.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57. American Express has a one year low of $288.34 and a one year high of $387.49.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The firm had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. American Express’s quarterly 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 17.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,464,215,000. Capital World Investors increased its position in American Express by 46.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,515,675 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $2,780,424,000 after acquiring an additional 2,393,340 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in American Express by 350.0% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,236,438 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $373,998,000 after acquiring an additional 961,698 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in American Express by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,310,515,000 after acquiring an additional 845,283 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in American Express by 73.8% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,451,606 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $438,975,000 after acquiring an additional 616,498 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: American Express announced that U.S. card members can now redeem Membership Rewards points directly in Apple Pay checkout, expanding everyday points usage and potentially improving cardholder loyalty and spend. Amex and Apple Pay Enable Users to Pay With Points
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary highlighted American Express as a stock worth watching, with bullish write-ups citing resilient lending programs and the company’s credit performance metrics as signs of stable asset quality. Resilient Lending Programs Assert American Express Company (AXP) as a Stock to Buy for Good Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target on American Express but kept a sell rating, signaling mixed analyst sentiment rather than a clear bullish catalyst. American Express price target raised by BTIG Research
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is also building a stablecoin and blockchain partnerships team, which suggests long-term innovation efforts but is too early to have a clear near-term earnings impact. American Express Builds a Stablecoin Team With VP Role Paying Up to $282,000

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.