Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 3,169 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,172,000.
Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $68,000. New World Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Express during the fourth quarter valued at about $256,000. Advisory Alpha LLC grew its position in American Express by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,373,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its position in American Express by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 12,177 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $4,505,000 after buying an additional 1,341 shares during the period. Finally, Markel Group Inc. grew its position in American Express by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 488,500 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $180,721,000 after buying an additional 4,250 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.
Key American Express News
Here are the key news stories impacting American Express this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted American Express’s resilient premium spending, strong earnings growth, and expanding lifestyle ecosystem as reasons it may have more upside than PayPal. American Express vs. PayPal: Which Fintech Stock Has More Upside?
- Positive Sentiment: American Express expanded its sports-commerce strategy through a Fanatics tie-up, adding a co-branded card and rewards integration that could support card usage and customer engagement. AmEx Expands Sports Commerce Strategy With Fanatics Tie-Up
- Positive Sentiment: American Express was also mentioned as one of Warren Buffett’s long-term “forever” holdings, reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s durable business model and cash-generating ability. Warren Buffett’s favorite stocks to buy and hold forever
- Neutral Sentiment: Other articles simply reiterated American Express’s status as a Buffett-backed dividend and quality financial stock, which supports the investment case but does not represent a new catalyst. 2 Warren Buffett Stocks That Pay You a Passive Income
- Neutral Sentiment: A broader market piece said weakness in American Express is drawing attention to S&P 500 value stocks, which is more of a commentary on relative valuation than a direct negative company-specific development. American Express Weakness Puts S&P 500 Value In Focus
- Neutral Sentiment: Promotional news about new Hilton and Marriott card offers may support future card sign-ups, but it appears to be routine marketing rather than a major earnings-moving event. New Hilton and Marriott credit card offers — earn up to 175,000 points
American Express Price Performance
American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $14.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.60 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.13% and a return on equity of 33.95%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current year.
American Express Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.71%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AXP shares. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $389.00 price target for the company. Evercore set a $345.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of American Express from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Express presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $359.05.
Check Out Our Latest Report on American Express
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.
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