Merit Financial Group LLC Raises Position in American Express Company $AXP

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,271 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,839 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $16,008,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of American Express by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,310,515,000 after buying an additional 845,283 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in American Express by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,787,580 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $925,449,000 after acquiring an additional 537,205 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter worth about $153,292,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its stake in American Express by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,169,242 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $720,535,000 after acquiring an additional 337,991 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Agricole S A bought a new stake in American Express in the 3rd quarter valued at about $93,571,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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

• Positive Sentiment: AmEx announced it will acquire Hyper (agentic AI expense-management startup), aiming to add AI agents that automate expense categorization, compliance checks and approvals — this strengthens AmEx’s commercial services and technology moat. AmEx to buy Altman-backed Hyper in push for AI-powered expense tools
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: multiple outlets report the stock gained on the Hyper/Hypercard acquisition headlines, reflecting investor enthusiasm for AmEx’s AI-driven product expansion in commercial cards and expense management. American Express stock gains after Hypercard acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: AmEx is rolling out complementary AI tools (ACE Developer Kit, Agent Purchase Protection and new agentic commerce solutions) to embed security and automation for AI-driven purchases — this supports cross-sell into commercial clients and may raise wallet share. Can American Express Build Trust in the Age of AI Commerce?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/strategy commentary highlights AmEx’s durable competitive moat, arguing its network and services are resilient as it layers AI-enabled offerings — supportive for long-term valuation. American Express’ Moat Is More Resistant Than What You Think
• Neutral Sentiment: AmEx reported stable credit quality with only moderate write-offs in recent filings — credit stability reduces downside risk but is not a catalyst by itself. American Express Reports Stable Credit Quality, Moderate Write-Offs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings growth into the next report, setting the stage for an earnings-driven move; this is a watch item for near-term volatility around the print. American Express (AXP) Earnings Expected to Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional tweak: Baxter Bros trimmed its AXP stake modestly (about 3.3%) in the latest 13F — a small portfolio adjustment rather than a broad sell signal. American Express Company $AXP is Baxter Bros Inc.’s 8th Largest Position
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive AI/deal headlines, the stock experienced a pullback later in the session and closed lower in some reports — short-term noise and profit-taking can offset headline-driven gains ahead of earnings. American Express (AXP) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.91, for a total value of $8,346,340.35. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,767,480.14. This trade represents a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 73,944 shares of company stock valued at $26,114,366 in the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore set a $393.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of American Express from $395.00 to $385.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of American Express from $367.00 to $323.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $350.70.

American Express Stock Down 0.9%

AXP stock opened at $325.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $316.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $344.53. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $239.27 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $223.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.18, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of ($17,139.00) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.91 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.04 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express’s payout ratio is 24.69%.

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.