Great Lakes Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in American Express Company $AXP

Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 243,780 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $82,459,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Express in the 2nd quarter worth $3,926,000. Act Two Investors LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the second quarter valued at about $331,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in American Express during the second quarter valued at about $129,114,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter valued at about $7,578,000. Finally, Gables Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the second quarter worth about $186,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $338.10 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.55. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $290.97 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The firm has a market cap of $228.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.04. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $342.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $327.04.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $14.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.70 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.08 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $328.00 to $400.00 in a report on Monday, July 13th. Evercore set a $370.00 price objective on American Express in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on American Express in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of American Express from $386.00 to $384.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $373.32.

American Express Company 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.