Blue Trust Inc. Trims Stake in American Express Company $AXP

Blue Trust Inc. reduced its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 45.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,822 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 3,232 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,156,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 82,863 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $27,524,000 after acquiring an additional 8,651 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP raised its position in American Express by 159.5% during the third quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 31,611 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $10,500,000 after purchasing an additional 19,429 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH raised its position in American Express by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 359,261 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $132,909,000 after purchasing an additional 10,495 shares during the period. Investment Research Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,573,000. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 34.1% in the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 139,887 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $51,751,000 after purchasing an additional 35,533 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $415.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $361.55.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of AXP opened at $341.11 on Friday. 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 $232.75 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.06. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $288.34 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $320.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $334.24.

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 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 firm had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Express Company will post 17.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

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