Central Securities Corp Cuts Stock Holdings in American Express Company $AXP

Central Securities Corp cut its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 6.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 140,000 shares of the payment services company’s stock after selling 10,000 shares during the quarter. American Express makes up approximately 3.8% of Central Securities Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Central Securities Corp’s holdings in American Express were worth $46,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of American Express during the second quarter worth about $1,897,335,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in American Express by 31,595.9% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,742,009 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $555,666,000 after acquiring an additional 1,736,513 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,487,316 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $4,282,984,000 after acquiring an additional 1,349,746 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Express by 26.1% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,125,133 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $988,676,000 after purchasing an additional 646,039 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in American Express by 1.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,425,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $14,808,730,000 after purchasing an additional 581,369 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

American Express Price Performance

NYSE:AXP opened at $307.93 on Friday. American Express Company has a 12-month low of $220.43 and a 12-month high of $387.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $358.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $349.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last posted 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). American Express had a return on equity of 33.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.The business had revenue of ($17,139.00) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 15.33 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. American Express’s payout ratio is presently 21.31%.

Key American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large corporate real-estate move could be seen as a long-term vote of confidence in the business and NYC hub status; American Express will relocate its global HQ to 2 World Trade Center, a project that supports the firm’s long-term footprint and corporate visibility. American Express to move into new headquarters in final World Trade Center building
• Neutral Sentiment: Earlier session headlines and analyst coverage noted a rebound in AXP tied to macro / AI commentary (Nvidia CEO remarks) and mentions in listicles, but these items appear to have had only temporary upside ahead of today’s sell-off. Why the Market Dipped But American Express (AXP) Gained Today
• Negative Sentiment: Headline focus on AI-driven workforce cuts prompted fresh investor concern and selling pressure, cited in market commentary as a near-term catalyst for the drop. Is It Time to Sell American Express Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: buyers bought ~21,709 put contracts (≈31% above average), indicating elevated short-term bearish bets and hedging demand that can amplify downside. (No direct article link provided.)
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~20% in February to ~8.6M shares, increasing the proportion of shares sold short and adding downward pressure risk if sentiment worsens. (Data summary provided in market feeds.)
• Negative Sentiment: Opinion / analysis pieces are flagging AXP’s YTD pullback (roughly mid-February-to-date slump and discussion of whether the fall is a buying opportunity or structural warning), which can drive momentum-based selling. American Express Has Slumped: Is It a Bargain or a Red Flag?

Insider Activity at American Express

In other news, insider Ravikumar Radhakrishnan sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.58, for a total value of $5,348,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,189,608.10. This represents a 62.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anna Marrs sold 27,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.01, for a total value of $9,599,024.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,138,103.94. This trade represents a 57.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 73,944 shares of company stock worth $26,114,366 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on AXP. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $395.00 price target on American Express in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of American Express in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $352.73.

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.