Shelton Wealth Management LLC Takes $816,000 Position in American Express Company $AXP

Shelton Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 2,697 shares of the payment services company’s stock, valued at approximately $816,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baxter Bros Inc. grew its holdings in American Express by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Baxter Bros Inc. now owns 79,992 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $24,196,000 after buying an additional 1,619 shares during the last quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Express by 6.7% in the first quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 116,949 shares of the payment services company’s stock valued at $35,375,000 after acquiring an additional 7,365 shares during the period. Kiley Juergens Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the first quarter valued at approximately $317,000. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 35.3% in the first quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,116 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Bank & Trust increased its position in American Express by 11.4% during the first quarter. Beacon Bank & Trust now owns 7,190 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,175,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the company’s stock.

Key American Express News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on American Express to $386 from $340 while keeping a neutral rating, signaling more upside than it previously expected. UBS raises American Express price target
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays also lifted its price target to $364 from $322 and maintained an equal weight rating, adding to the broader bullish tone from Wall Street. Barclays issues positive forecast for American Express
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains favorable, with American Express continuing to carry a “Moderate Buy” recommendation overall. Consensus recommendation for American Express
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary has highlighted recent shareholder-friendly actions such as a higher dividend, a steady capital buffer, and Apple Pay redemption expansion, which support the long-term bull case for AXP. Amex capital return and Apple Pay push
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express also launched a Restaurant Academy with Resy and the NRAEF, a brand-building initiative that may help deepen merchant relationships but is not a near-term earnings driver. American Express launches Restaurant Academy
• Negative Sentiment: Not all commentary is upbeat: one fund letter cited American Express as a performance detractor due to AI disruption concerns, which could temper enthusiasm around the stock. Bretton Fund investor letter

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on American Express in a research report on Monday, June 29th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $396.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on American Express from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded American Express from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on American Express from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.50.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP traded down $3.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $352.71. The company had a trading volume of 607,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,392,933. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $240.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.04. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $288.34 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $322.50 and its 200-day moving average is $332.93.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $14.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 33.95% and a net margin of 15.13%.The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that American Express Company will post 17.65 EPS for the current year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 2nd. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 23.71%.

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.