American Express Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?

With a market cap of $230.2 billion, American Express Company (AXP) is a global financial services and payments company that provides credit cards, charge cards, payment solutions and related financial products to consumers and businesses. Headquartered in New York, its business is built around a closed-loop payments network, and it generates revenue primarily from card fees, transaction-related fees, interest income on loans and other financial services.

AXP stock has increased 15.7% over the past year, lagging behind the S&P 500 Index ($SPX), which has rallied 22.4%. On a YTD basis, shares of the company are down 7.9%, compared to SPX’s 13.3% gain. 

However, AXP has surpassed the Amplify Digital Payments ETF’s (IPAY) 12% decline over the past 52 weeks. 

American Express reported its Q2 2026 results on July 24, with shares initially dipping 4.3% before rebounding 2.5% in the following session. Revenue net of interest expense rose 10% year over year to $19.64 billion, while net income increased 7.8% from the year-ago quarter to $3.11 billion. Its EPS climbed 11% to $4.53, beating expectations, supported by strong travel and entertainment spending, while younger customers continued to drive account growth. 

For the fiscal year ending in December 2026, analysts expect AXP’s EPS to grow 14.9% year over year to $17.67. The company’s earnings surprise history is mixed. It beat the consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters while missing on another occasion. 

Among the 31 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on 14 “Strong Buy” ratings, two “Moderate Buys,” 14 “Holds,” and one “Strong Sell.”

The current configuration is bullish than a month ago when the stock had 13 “Strong Buy” suggestions. 

On Aug. 3, UBS analyst Erika Najarian maintained a “Neutral” rating on American Express but slightly lowered the price target to $384 from $386, signalling a modestly more cautious view on the stock. 

The mean price target of $374.90 represents a 10% premium to AXP’s current price levels. The Street-high price target of $450 suggests a 32% potential upside.