North Dakota State Investment Board Takes $6.97 Million Position in American Express Company $AXP

North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 18,843 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,971,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AXP. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 27.0% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,970,416 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $1,310,515,000 after acquiring an additional 845,283 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 23.9% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,787,580 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $925,449,000 after acquiring an additional 537,205 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of American Express in the third quarter worth $153,292,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in shares of American Express in the fourth quarter worth $166,848,000. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Express by 18.5% in the third quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,169,242 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $720,535,000 after acquiring an additional 337,991 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of AXP stock opened at $313.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57. American Express Company has a 52-week low of $281.46 and a 52-week high of $387.49. The company has a market capitalization of $214.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.08. The business’s fifty day moving average is $310.73 and its 200 day moving average is $342.28.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The payment services company reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The company had revenue of $14.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors 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 a boost 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on American Express from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Barclays cut their price target on American Express from $323.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore set a $345.00 price target on American Express in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Express has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $357.47.

American Express Company Profile

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.