Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Buys 7,762 Shares of American Express Company $AXP

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 16.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 55,881 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 7,762 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in American Express were worth $16,903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Express by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter worth about $428,000. Howland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Express by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $707,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in American Express by 19.9% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,898 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on AXP shares. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of American Express from $340.00 to $386.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Piper Sandler downgraded American Express from an “overweight” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Loop Capital assumed coverage on American Express in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $389.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $374.15.

American Express Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:AXP opened at $358.61 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market cap of $244.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.04. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $288.34 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $327.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $331.30.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its 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 net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The company had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s payout ratio is 23.71%.

More American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded American Express to Overweight and named it a preferred pick, pointing to the company’s stronger spending-linked revenue model even as broader market worries rise.
• Positive Sentiment: American Express raised its Platinum Card annual fee to $895, a roughly 29% increase, and reports say retention remains high — a favorable sign for future card-fee revenue.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted American Express as one of Warren Buffett’s key holdings and a stock to watch, which can support investor confidence in the long-term story.
• Positive Sentiment: Research pieces also pointed to strong earnings growth and price momentum, reinforcing expectations for solid fundamentals heading into the July 24 earnings report.
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express was featured in a branded Montauk/EDITION Hotels event, which is positive for marketing and cardholder engagement but unlikely to move the stock materially by itself.
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer-news around Visa’s AI banking assistant and the reported PayPal takeover chatter may influence sentiment for payments names broadly, but the direct impact on AXP is limited.

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.