American Express (NYSE:AXP) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at BMO Capital Markets

Posted by Stanley Muller on Oct 10th, 2026

American Express logo American Express (NYSE:AXP) was upgraded by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. President Capital raised their target price on American Express from $359.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on American Express from $389.00 to $386.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Bank of America increased their price target on American Express from $387.00 to $391.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. HSBC raised their price objective on American Express from $312.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on American Express from $384.00 to $345.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $364.52.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on American Express

American Express Trading Up 0.0%

AXP opened at $308.18 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.54. American Express has a fifty-two week low of $290.97 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $324.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $324.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.08.

American Express (NYSE:AXP – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $14.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.70 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.07% and a return on equity of 34.12%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.08 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that American Express will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Express by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 172 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. boosted its stake in American Express by 4.4% during the third quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 8,282 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,519,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA boosted its stake in American Express by 4.3% during the third quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 34,997 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $10,642,000 after acquiring an additional 1,450 shares in the last quarter. Davidson Trust Co. grew its holdings in American Express by 4.5% in the third quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 2,052 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Mirador Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in American Express by 1,922.4% in the third quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 12,741 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $3,875,000 after purchasing an additional 12,111 shares during the period. 84.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about American Express

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

Positive Sentiment: BMO initiated coverage with a $380 price target, while Royal Bank of Canada maintained an Outperform rating and lowered its target from $415 to $400. Analysts cited continued growth in American Express’s premium customer base and the company’s ability to sustain revenue and earnings expansion despite intensifying competition. American Express Has More Room to Run Despite Rising Competition, Analyst Says
Positive Sentiment: American Express launched a new corporate platform and continues investing in business and merchant tools, including guidance on how companies can use artificial intelligence. These initiatives could support corporate spending and strengthen longer-term customer relationships. American Express Launches New Corporate Platform
Neutral Sentiment: American Express is scheduled to report quarterly results on October 23. Investors will look for evidence that premium-card growth, spending trends and earnings guidance can offset the regulatory setback. The company previously reported earnings above expectations and maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $17.30 to $17.90.
Negative Sentiment: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Reserve fined American Express $350 million and issued regulatory orders over significant anti-money-laundering control failures. Regulators said inadequate resources, inexperienced personnel, weak training and internal-control gaps left approximately $13 billion in potentially suspicious activity insufficiently monitored or reported over nearly 11 years. The penalty creates a direct financial cost and raises concerns about compliance spending, reputational damage and potential additional oversight. OCC Assesses $350 Million Civil Money Penalty Against American Express

About American Express

(Get Free Report)

American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) is a global financial services company that provides payment, lending, travel and related products to consumers, small businesses and corporate customers. Its offerings include consumer and business charge and credit cards, payment solutions, commercial financing, deposit products and rewards programs.

American Express also operates a worldwide merchant network and provides businesses with payment acceptance services, transaction-processing capabilities and data-driven marketing solutions.