8,055 American Express Company $AXP Shares Bought by Howard Capital Management LLC

Howard Capital Management LLC raised its stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 216.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,784 shares of the payment services company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,055 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Express were worth $3,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in American Express in the second quarter valued at $14,208,662,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in American Express by 40.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 40,967,262 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $13,857,176,000 after acquiring an additional 11,739,541 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in American Express by 8.4% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,969,555 shares of the payment services company’s stock worth $2,695,702,000 after acquiring an additional 614,981 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in American Express during the second quarter worth about $253,945,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,263,787,000. 84.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AXP. President Capital lifted their price objective on American Express from $359.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of American Express from $355.00 to $340.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Evercore set a $320.00 price target on shares of American Express in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of American Express from $364.00 to $342.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their price objective on shares of American Express from $315.00 to $230.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.63.

American Express News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong consumer spending—particularly among affluent customers—continues to support American Express’s payment volumes and earnings outlook. Analysts also point to Wall Street wealth effects as a potential tailwind for discretionary spending. 3 Stocks to Watch as Wall Street Wealth Fuels Consumer Spending
• Positive Sentiment: American Express is expected to benefit from rising interest income, with consensus estimates calling for year-over-year earnings growth in the upcoming quarterly report. The company’s full-year 2026 EPS guidance remains $17.30 to $17.90. Will Rising Expenses Affect American Express’ Q3 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: The Rakuten American Express Card received a limited-edition NARUTO SHIPPUDEN design, helping refresh the card’s marketing appeal while retaining its existing cash-back rewards and benefits. Rakuten Introduces Limited Edition NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Credit Card Design
• Neutral Sentiment: American Express is developing AI-powered payment security for purchases initiated by autonomous shopping agents. The technology could support future transaction growth, but its financial impact is not yet clear. Can American Express Turn AI Commerce Into a New Growth Driver?
• Negative Sentiment: Higher operating expenses are expected to pressure margins and may offset some of the benefit from stronger spending and interest income. Zacks also indicates that AXP lacks the typical combination of factors supporting a likely earnings beat, increasing pre-earnings uncertainty. American Express Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite its favorable growth profile, American Express trades at a premium valuation, leaving less room for disappointment if quarterly revenue, expenses, or guidance fall short of expectations. Rising credit-card delinquencies are an additional sector risk.

American Express Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:AXP traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $313.47. The company had a trading volume of 3,387,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,438,562. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $325.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.08. American Express Company has a 1 year low of $290.97 and a 1 year high of $387.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The payment services company reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.41 by $0.12. American Express had a return on equity of 34.12% and a net margin of 15.07%. The company had revenue of $14.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. American Express has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.300-17.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that American Express Company will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.06%.

American Express Profile

American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) is a global financial services company that provides payment, lending, travel and related products to consumers, small businesses and corporate customers. Its offerings include consumer and business charge and credit cards, payment solutions, commercial financing, deposit products and rewards programs.

American Express also operates a worldwide merchant network and provides businesses with payment acceptance services, transaction-processing capabilities and data-driven marketing solutions.