American Express Company $AXP Stock: Strata Wealth Advisors LLC Cuts Position

Strata Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 31.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,821 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 4,040 shares during the quarter. American Express accounts for about 0.6% of Strata Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Strata Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $2,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth about $14,208,662,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of American Express by 40.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 40,967,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $13,857,176,000 after buying an additional 11,739,541 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of American Express by 8.4% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,969,555 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,695,702,000 after buying an additional 614,981 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in American Express in the second quarter valued at approximately $253,945,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in American Express in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,263,787,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:AXP opened at $313.47 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $325.29. The stock has a market cap of $211.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $290.97 and a 1 year high of $387.49. 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 (NYSE:AXP) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%. The business had revenue of $14.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.08 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.06%.

Key Headlines Impacting American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong consumer spending—particularly among affluent customers—continues to support American Express’s payment volumes and earnings outlook. Analysts also point to Wall Street wealth effects as a potential tailwind for discretionary spending. 3 Stocks to Watch as Wall Street Wealth Fuels Consumer Spending
• Positive Sentiment: American Express is expected to benefit from rising interest income, with consensus estimates calling for year-over-year earnings growth in the upcoming quarterly report. The company’s full-year 2026 EPS guidance remains $17.30 to $17.90. Will Rising Expenses Affect American Express’ Q3 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: The Rakuten American Express Card received a limited-edition NARUTO SHIPPUDEN design, helping refresh the card’s marketing appeal while retaining its existing cash-back rewards and benefits. Rakuten Introduces Limited Edition NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Credit Card Design
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is developing AI-powered payment security for purchases initiated by autonomous shopping agents. The technology could support future transaction growth, but its financial impact is not yet clear. Can American Express Turn AI Commerce Into a New Growth Driver?
• Negative Sentiment: Higher operating expenses are expected to pressure margins and may offset some of the benefit from stronger spending and interest income. Zacks also indicates that AXP lacks the typical combination of factors supporting a likely earnings beat, increasing pre-earnings uncertainty. American Express Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite its favorable growth profile, American Express trades at a premium valuation, leaving less room for disappointment if quarterly revenue, expenses, or guidance fall short of expectations. Rising credit-card delinquencies are an additional sector risk.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of American Express from $389.00 to $386.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $396.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Evercore set a $320.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.63.

About American Express

American Express Company is a global financial services company that provides payment, lending, travel and expense management products and services. Its offerings include consumer and small-business charge and credit cards, corporate payment programs, business financing solutions, deposit products and digital payment services.

The company operates an integrated payments network that connects card members, merchants and financial institutions. American Express also provides merchant acquisition and payment processing services, data and analytics, fraud prevention tools, and customer loyalty programs.