American Express has been evaluated by 27 research firms over the past year, resulting in an average recommendation of “Hold.” Of those analysts, one has issued a sell recommendation, 17 have maintained a hold stance and nine have assigned a buy rating. The current consensus 12-month target stands at 343.95, reflecting a distribution that skews toward cautious optimism given the mix of holds and buy recommendations.

Throughout the past quarter, five major firms adjusted their outlooks. Barclays raised its target from 355 to 367 while affirming an equal-weight rating on January 6. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased its target from 371 to 394 and upgraded to outperform on October 1. Truist Financial moved its target from 395 to 420 with a buy rating on December 22. Weiss Ratings upgraded the company from hold (c+) to buy (b-) on December 29. Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its buy rating and maintained a 420 objective on January 6.

Chief Marketing Officer Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares at an average of 360.21 on October 31, reducing her holdings by 36.9% to 85,577 shares. Finance executive Denise Pickett disposed of 5,000 shares at an average of 350.73 on October 22, cutting her position by 39.3% to 7,726 shares. Combined, insiders sold 57,515 shares valued at 20.66 million over the last three months, representing 0.20% of outstanding shares.

Major institutions have been active in adjusting stakes. Vanguard increased its holding by 1.3%, adding 581,369 shares to reach 46.4 million. Geode Capital grew its position by 11.1%, purchasing 1.35 million additional shares for a total of 13.49 million. Fisher Asset added 146,586 shares (up 1.7%) to reach 8.88 million. Norges Bank initiated a new stake worth approximately 1.9 billion. Capital World Investors added 24,297 shares (up 0.5%) to reach 5.12 million. Overall, institutional and hedge fund ownership stands at 84.33%.