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American Express (AXP)
NYSEFinancialsCredit ServicesSnapshot 2026-06-16
Watch· this month
$335.45+3.08%
Close 2026-06-15 · 1-day change
Recent financial performance sits below its industry cohort — worth keeping an eye on, though it has not freshly broken.
The bottom line
American Express (AXP) shows a mixed profile, with recent financial performance being neutral and management's track record being volatile. Earnings quality is neutral, and the company has a capital-unfriendly stance, which may raise concerns. The sector backdrop is a headwind, and risk is moderate, while its valuation appears expensive compared to peers. Peer multiples imply a price about 114% below where it trades (it looks expensive on this basis); the read is rich, as it trades above peer multiples, and the longer horizon does not make that back through growth. This analysis is provisional.
as of 2026-06-16
Quick facts
- Exchange
- NYSE
- Sector
- Financials
- Industry
- Credit Services
- Market cap
- $228.84B
- Employees
- 76,800
- IPO date
- 1972-12-31
- Next earnings
- 2026-07-24
Price
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Adjusted daily closes (split & dividend). Scroll over the chart to zoom; click a range to reset.
EarningsMaterial event
What's priced in
(what the market already expects)What it's worth (estimated)
A consensus fair price across 8 valuation methods, at three horizons. Current price $335.45. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
12-month· primaryexpensive
$159.65consensus
Range $74.99 – $185.10
vs price: +114% above
Method agreement — · 8 methods
No-growth: today's peer multiple on trailing earnings. The headline read.
3-yearfull
$276.31consensus
Range $155.65 – $311.40
vs price: +23% above
Method agreement — · 7 methods
Embeds projected growth. Leans optimistic by design. Upside context.
5-yearfair
How much to trust our fair value
We take the 12-month fair value above and grade our own number — how the market prices this name versus what we'd justify, and where the two diverge.
Durable premiumlow confidence
At $335 the market pays 21× p/e — above the 11× p/e peer median but in line with its own 20× history. That premium reflects a durable franchise our peer-anchored $157 fair value understates; treat the 'expensive vs peers' read with low confidence. Analysts: $322–$415. Not investment advice.
Multiple (P/E)
20.9x
peer 10.9x · own history 19.5x
Premium
1.9x peer
1.1x its own history
Growth the price needs
114%
our forecast 19%
Our fair value
$157.05
range $92.00 – $181.68
Analyst range(a guide on our number, not a target)Our number is below the analyst range
How this stock is priced
One valuation read at a 12-month horizon, plus how price compares to peers and the company's own history.
Long-term · 1–3 yr
expensiverich12-month view
What's priced inUnjustified
The market is pricing in roughly 114% near-term growth, well above our forecast of about 19%. This describes what's priced in, not a forecast of the move.
Elevated fragilityrisk posture, not a price call
Flags: expensive valuation, a turbulent sector regime (Heating).
Historical context
For similar setups historically (n=2,301): about 43% saw a 20%+ drawdown, and roughly 77% of those did not recover within the year. These are historical base rates for the cohort, not a forecast of this stock.
How strong is the business
(quality & execution)Factor signals
Each factor is a parallel diagnostic with a clear read of what it shows and how names like it have historically fared. Never aggregated into a single score.
Recent financial performance
neutralOperating income rose in 2 of the last 3 quarter-over-quarter moves. Historically, Financials names rated neutral grew net income 52% of the time over the next year (vs 61% for the rest of the cohort, n=4936).
48th pctl · Financials
Earnings quality
neutralOver the trailing year it converted 1.56x of net income into operating cash flow. Historically, Financials names rated neutral grew net income 58% of the time over the next year (vs 55% for the rest of the cohort, n=4725).
68th pctl · Financials
Macro sensitivity
Most sensitive to the broad stock market.
- the broad stock market: This stock moves with the broad market (high beta).
Not enough signal to read sensitivity to the US dollar, real (inflation-adjusted) rates, long-term interest rates, Fed net liquidity.
Management & capital allocation
volatileEarnings setup & market context
The next print and the backdrop around it (sector regime and the AI cycle). Context for the path, not a forecast of returns.
Earnings setup · pre-print positioning
forward-looking
Neutral23 analysts, 45% Buyfor period ending 2026-06-30
Why this setup
Consensus revisions
EPS estimate $4.39 → $4.39 (-0.1% / 30d). 1 raised, 4 cut, 23 covering analysts.
Rating actions
0 upgrades, 0 downgrades / 30d, 1 maintained. 45% of analysts rate Buy.
Price target activity
1 PT revisions / 30d. Avg target 25.6% above current price.
Sector context
Intermediate · WeeklySector phase: financials is in growth, with decelerating (~3.2 years in phase).
Sector regime (90d momentum): headwind.Secular epoch: by revenue growth.Management scorecard
How management runs the business: capital, margins, balance sheet, and how reliably they guide and deliver.
Long-term · 1–3 yr
Overall: strong
- Capital allocation
- strong
- Earnings discipline
- strong
- Margin discipline
- strong
- Balance sheet
- strong
- Post-call reaction
- weak
How bumpy is the path
(risk while you hold it)Risk: how this stock moves
What a normal day, a bad day, and the worst of the last year would mean for a $10,000 position.
Intermediate · WeeklyLong-term · 1–3 yr
On a typical day, $10k can swing ±$100.
How much price usually moves either way.
On a bad day, this stock has moved -$234.
A rough but not unusual down day (about the 95th percentile).
In the worst 12 months, $10k could have lost $2,390.
Deepest peak-to-trough drop in the last year.
moderateas of 2026-06-16
Past results, not a forecast. Not investment advice.
What would change the read
(catalysts & re-read triggers)What changed
The most important moves since the prior daily snapshot.
Short-term · Daily
- No material changes since the prior snapshot.
No material changes since the prior snapshot.
as of 2026-06-16
What to watch next
Specific, dated things to watch for, each with what would confirm it and what would prove it wrong.
Intermediate · Weekly
- UpsideHigh confidenceMonthsactive 22d
Watch for confirmation of dividend increase to $0.95.
Why it matters: Confirming the dividend increase shows good use of capital. It also helps shareholders.
What confirms / what disproves
Confirms:Management keeps the quarterly dividend at $0.95 per share.
Disproves:Management decides not to raise the dividend to $0.95.
Management priorities
News catalysts
Recent news graded against this company's own objectives — whether it reinforces or challenges the thesis, and how confirmed it is.
- 2026-06-161d agoYahoo! Finance
Acquisition supports growth strategy and enhances customer offerings.
ReinforcesUnconfirmed report
This sector is also watching
- Watch for revenue growth dropping below 10% across major banks
What could change this view
Conditional scenarios: if X happens, the view would shift in this direction. These are not predictions.
Intermediate · Weekly
Upside triggers
- If sector bellwethers like V, MA, and COF keep beating earnings and guiding higher, the Financials sector momentum should keep lifting AXP and other Financials names. Worth watching these names for early signals.
- If AXP raises forward guidance on the next earnings call (currently NEW as of 2026-05-04), that's a momentum boost. Street estimates typically follow guidance up and the stock tends to re-rate higher.
Downside triggers
- If AXP cuts guidance on the next call (currently NEW as of 2026-05-04), that's a meaningful negative. The Street tends to walk down estimates and the stock usually takes a leg lower.
- If the Fed starts cutting rates from the current 3.62%, that would weigh on AXP and other Financials names, since the sector usually outperforms when rates stay high.
- If sector bellwethers like V, MA, and COF start missing or guiding lower, the Financials tailwind helping AXP and other Financials names could fade. Watch these names for early warning.
Recent events
(material 8-K / filing activity)Material updates
Recent SEC 8-K filings ranked by likely impact, confidence, and recency.
- 2026-05-041mo agoItem 8.01
Other Events. Exhibits are filed herewith in connection with the issuance by American Express Company (the “Company”), on May 4, 2026, of $1,750,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 4.444% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Notes due May 3, 2030 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Prospectus Supplement dated April 27, 2026 to the Prospectus dated February 9, 2024, filed as part of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-276975). The Notes were issued under a senior indenture, dated as of Augus…
Capital allocationneutral
Score history
Whether the overall read has been drifting up or down lately, and how it's changed since last week.
-2.9 vs last weeklatest as of 2026-06-17
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.