American Express (NYSE:AXP) Receives Outperform Rating from William Blair

William Blair reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) in a research note published on Monday morning,RTT News reports. William Blair also issued estimates for American Express' Q2 2025 earnings at $3.96 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.98 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $3.62 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.39 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.21 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.34 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $4.30 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on AXP. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Express from $355.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price target on American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Truist Financial cut their price target on American Express from $350.00 to $343.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on American Express from $283.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded American Express from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $295.05.

American Express Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXP traded up $2.79 on Monday, hitting $262.93. 342,489 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,208,637. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company's 50 day moving average price is $269.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $287.18. American Express has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $326.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.16.

American Express (NYSE:AXP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. The business had revenue of $16.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.33 EPS. Research analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is a boost from American Express's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. American Express's payout ratio is currently 22.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In related news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 9,485 shares of American Express stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $319.17, for a total transaction of $3,027,327.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,308,795. This trade represents a 41.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Angelakis bought 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $269.89 per share, with a total value of $998,593.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $998,593. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. PDS Planning Inc grew its position in American Express by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 3,217 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $865,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC grew its position in American Express by 390.0% in the 1st quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 4,959 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 3,947 shares in the last quarter. Balefire LLC grew its position in American Express by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC grew its position in American Express by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Financial Corp CA grew its position in American Express by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Western Financial Corp CA now owns 7,486 shares of the payment services company's stock worth $2,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company's stock.

About American Express

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.