American Express Company $AXP Position Boosted by Central Bank & Trust Co.

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 9th, 2026

American Express logo Central Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 63.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,531 shares of the payment services company’s stock after buying an additional 1,761 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in American Express were worth $1,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in American Express in the second quarter worth about $14,208,662,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 40.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 40,967,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $13,857,176,000 after buying an additional 11,739,541 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of American Express by 8.4% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,969,555 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,695,702,000 after acquiring an additional 614,981 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 5,172,484 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,913,560,000 after buying an additional 293,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in American Express by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,806,554 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $1,778,185,000 after acquiring an additional 83,083 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Stock Performance

NYSE:AXP traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $308.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,190,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,240,698. The firm has a market cap of $208.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a fifty-two week low of $290.97 and a fifty-two week high of $387.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $325.07 and its 200-day moving average is $324.99. 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 (NYSE:AXP – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.12. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%.The business had revenue of $14.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.08 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on American Express from $415.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $396.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of American Express from $312.00 to $329.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded American Express from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $328.00 to $400.00 in a report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $364.52.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on American Express

More American Express News

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

Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada maintained an “outperform” rating on American Express while lowering its price target from $415 to $400. The revised target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels. RBC American Express price target report
Positive Sentiment: American Express continues investing in growth initiatives, including a new corporate platform and programs helping merchants prepare for AI-driven and “agentic” commerce. These efforts could support future payment volume and customer engagement, although their financial impact remains uncertain. American Express corporate platform article
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting American Express’ quarterly results on October 23. Earnings will be important for assessing spending trends, credit quality and whether the company remains on track for its fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $17.30 to $17.90.
Negative Sentiment: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency assessed a $350 million civil money penalty and issued a cease-and-desist order after identifying significant weaknesses in American Express’ enterprise-wide AML program, particularly at its national bank subsidiary. OCC penalty announcement
Negative Sentiment: Regulators said the deficiencies persisted for nearly 11 years and left approximately $13 billion in suspected money-laundering activity inadequately monitored or reported. The direct financial penalty is manageable relative to American Express’ size, but remediation costs, enhanced oversight, reputational damage and potential restrictions on growth create longer-term risks. American Express AML penalty analysis

About American Express

(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.