The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Takes Position in American Express Company $AXP

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 430,789 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $145,715,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.06% of American Express as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of American Express by 6,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sfam LLC purchased a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in American Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Express Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE AXP opened at $337.38 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $343.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $326.56. American Express Company has a 12 month low of $290.97 and a 12 month high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $227.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.04.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $19.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.70 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.07% and a return on equity of 34.12%. American Express’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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, sell-side analysts expect that American Express Company will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Loop Capital started coverage on American Express in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $389.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. BTIG Research reduced their price objective on shares of American Express from $324.00 to $315.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $387.00 to $391.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on American Express from $330.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $373.32.

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.