Brokerages Set American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) Target Price at $352.95

Shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $352.9524.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AXP. Evercore set a $393.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $385.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Express news, insider Denise Pickett sold 23,385 shares of American Express stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 7,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,767,480.14. The trade was a 75.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total transaction of $9,599,024.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of American Express

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Express by 6,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 67 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sfam LLC acquired a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in American Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its position in American Express by 153.3% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 76 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $297.47 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $328.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $346.80. American Express has a one year low of $220.43 and a one year high of $387.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market cap of $204.00 billion, a PE ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.15.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The payment services company reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.54 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.91 billion. American Express had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 33.49%. The business’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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. As a group, research analysts expect that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from American Express’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 21.31%.

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.