Why American Express Company stock moves
American Express fell, moving against a slightly rising market.
Written after the close on ·
Why today
16,437 news analyzed todayAmerican Express fell, moving against a slightly rising market.
No company news explains the drop.
Over the last five trading days the stock was roughly unchanged, while the S&P 500 fell sharply, so American Express held up better than the market.
The stock traded at its usual volume.
The move was a clear drop for American Express, but nothing from that session explains it, so the cause is unclear.
Today's move of −1.22% was 1.4 times a normal day's 0.9%. S&P 500 moved +0.31% on the same day.
American Express Company −1.22%S&P 500 +0.31%Against the market
What analysts expect, and how often they have been right
Analysts’ estimates for American Express Company.
American Express Company earned more than expected in 7 out of 8 reports.
For comparison, about 82% of reports from US companies beat the estimate in the last three years.
The share moved in the same direction as the earnings surprise in 2 out of 8 reports with a measured move, against about 55% of reports from US companies.
Ratings
Price targets
Latest price $320.99
Earnings against expectations, and the share’s reaction
Expected EPSAbove estimateBelow estimateAs expected$
Next reported quarter: expected earnings per share of $4.29 (January 29). For the current fiscal year, expected earnings per share changed from $17.68 three months ago to $18.38 now. 2026 estimate: $18.38. 2027 estimate: $20.18.
Has the share price followed the business?
Price and earnings moved in the same direction: 3 out of 3 years. Across US companies, that happens in about 65% of years. In 2025, the price changed +25% and earnings per share +10%.
Revenue, profit and market cap
RevenueProfitMarket capHatched bars: analysts’ estimates.$B
Assets, liabilities and market cap
AssetsLiabilitiesMarket cap$B
Price and earnings moved in the same direction: 3 out of 3 years.Market cap (Now): $215.2BRevenue 2025: $72.2B
What the key figures say about American Express Company
The figures connect what American Express Company earns with what investors pay.
The line shows the share price in the same year, on its own scale. Hatched bars: analysts’ estimates.
Profit divided by the number of shares. Each share represents this much of the earnings.
2022–2025: $9.85–$15.38. Peers: Mastercard $19.11, Visa $12.32, PayPal Holdings $5.24. 2026 estimate: $18.38 ($17.73–$18.66). 2027 estimate: $20.18 ($19.30–$20.72).
What the company sold during the year.
2022–2025: $52.9B–$72.2B. Peers: Mastercard $36.3B, Visa $45.9B, PayPal Holdings $34.3B. 2026 estimate: $79.4B ($78.5B–$79.7B). 2027 estimate: $86.6B ($85.3B–$87.5B).
Profit as a percentage of shareholders’ money in the company.
2022–2025: 29.4%–33.0%. Peers: Mastercard 231.4%, Visa 63.5%, PayPal Holdings 23.8%.
The price investors pay for each unit of annual earnings per share. Not shown for a loss.
2022–2025: 15.0–24.1. Peers: Mastercard 34.2, Visa 34.3, PayPal Holdings 11.3. 2026 estimate: 17.5. 2027 estimate: 15.9.
What investors pay for each unit the company sells.
2022–2025: 2.08–3.51. Peers: Mastercard 15.67, Visa 17.18, PayPal Holdings 1.43. 2026 estimate: 2.71. 2027 estimate: 2.49.
Money paid to shareholders per share, summed by calendar year.
2017–2025: $1.31–$3.16.
The ordinary yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price.
2022–2025: 0.9%–1.3%. Peers: Mastercard 0.5%, Visa 0.7%, PayPal Holdings 0.9%.
More key figures
Market cap divided by shareholders’ equity, what remains after liabilities.
2022–2025: 4.44–7.58. Peers: Mastercard 84.30, Visa 22.05, PayPal Holdings 2.55.
Cash left after investments, divided by the number of shares.
2022–2025: $17.29–$25.87. Peers: Mastercard $17.71, Visa $11.26, PayPal Holdings $7.58.
The percentage of assets financed by shareholders’ equity.
2022–2025: 10.7%–11.2%.
The dividend explained
A dividend is money paid to shareholders. American Express Company paid $3.67 per share in the twelve months through November 6, 2026.
On the ex-dividend day, October 9, 2026, American Express Company traded without the right to the $0.95 dividend. The price went from $308.10 to $308.17; including the dividend, the day's change was +0.3%. Entitlement passes from the company to shareholders on the ex-day; payment comes later.
2017: $1.312018: $1.442019: $1.602020: $1.722021: $1.722022: $1.992023: $2.322024: $2.702025: $3.162026 so far: $3.67
What to watch next, and why
The earnings report shows how American Express Company's revenue and profit have changed.
- Earnings report
The earnings report shows how American Express Company's revenue and profit have changed.
Add to calendar
Earnings report
Next report: · Add to calendar · Google Calendar
On its last 15 report days American Express Company usually moved about 3.7%. On a normal day it moves 0.9%.
−3.68% Why? −4.30% −4.31% −1.77%
$10,000 in American Express Company bought on November 7, 2016 is worth $54,900 today, with dividends reinvested.
The same amount in S&P 500 with dividends would have become $40,400.
What would $10,000 in American Express Company be worth today? →
What would $10,000 in American Express Company be worth today?
$54,900
with dividends reinvested, bought on November 7, 2016. The same amount in S&P 500 with dividends would have become $40,400.
The five biggest days of the journey
· +21.9% · the whole market rose 9.4% the same day
· +21.4% · the whole market rose 1.2% the same day
· +19.2% · the whole market rose 9.3% the same day
· −14.8% · the whole market fell 5.2% the same day
· +14.0% · the whole market rose 7.0% the same day
Earlier days
+0.59% market −2.70% American Express Company ended the week roughly unchanged, while the S&P 500 fell sharply, so it held up better than the market. Read →
American Express Company ended the week roughly unchanged, while the S&P 500 fell sharply, so it held up better than the market.
Its sector ETF rose slightly, so the stock also moved less than its sector.
The stock fell clearly in the last session, moving against a slightly higher market.
Its share count has been cut by about 27% since 2016, and news that the company acquired TheFork, a European restaurant booking platform, also came out this week.
−2.29% market −4.41% American Express Company fell without a company-news explanation. Read →
American Express Company fell without a company-news explanation.
Over the same day the S&P 500 fell very sharply, so American Express moved in line with the broader market and its sector.
Trading volume was about twice a normal session, so the move drew heavy activity.
No company news from that session clearly explains the drop, which likely reflects broad selling across financial and market stocks.
Over the last five trading days the shares were roughly unchanged, moving less than the market.
+2.18% market +1.65% American Express rose, in line with the broad market's gain. Read →
American Express rose, in line with the broad market's gain.
Its sector ETF rose even more, so the stock lagged its peers.
No single company event clearly explains the rise: the day's news was mostly ordinary items like partnership announcements and fund-holding filings.
Over the last five trading days, the stock rose sharply while the S&P 500 slipped slightly, so American Express clearly beat the market that week.
The move was big for this stock, about twice its normal five-day swing.
+2.78% market −0.48% American Express Company rose sharply without company news. Read →
American Express Company rose sharply without company news.
Over the same session the S&P 500 fell slightly, so American Express moved against the broad market, while its Financial Services sector ETF rose sharply, so it moved in line with its sector.
Over the last five trading days the stock rose clearly, a big move for the stock, roughly twice its usual five-day swing.
The most likely driver is sector-wide buying in financial stocks, partly offset by the market's decline.
−1.42% market −1.77% American Express fell, in line with a sharp market drop. Read →
American Express fell, in line with a sharp market drop.
The S&P 500 fell sharply over the same day, so the broad selloff likely drove most of the move.
No company news explains the move beyond routine filings and product updates.
Over the last five trading days, the stock rose slightly while the market dipped, so it held up better than the index.
Next, the company reports earnings on 29 January 2027.
+1.88% market −0.56% American Express Company rose slightly over the week, moving against a slightly falling S&P 500 and slightly outpacing its sector. Read →
American Express Company rose slightly over the week, moving against a slightly falling S&P 500 and slightly outpacing its sector.
Quarterly earnings released on October 23 beat analyst expectations, likely supporting the shares.
The company also announced a $3 billion note issuance and new cash-back savings features during the week, which likely drew little price reaction.
The next earnings report is due January 29, 2027, which is worth watching.
+1.81% market −0.38% American Express Company rose clearly without company news. Read →
American Express Company rose clearly without company news.
Over the same session the S&P 500 fell slightly, so the stock moved against the market, while its Financial Services sector rose sharply and it moved in line with that sector.
Over the last five trading days the stock was roughly unchanged, a little weaker than the market, which rose slightly.
Its gain likely reflects sector-wide buying in financial stocks, since the sector moved strongly up that day.
+1.61% market +0.34% American Express Company rose, moving more than the market, which rose slightly. Read →
American Express Company rose, moving more than the market, which rose slightly.
Over the last five trading days, the stock fell slightly while the S&P 500 and the Financial Services sector were roughly flat, so the stock moved on its own.
Trading volume was around its usual level, so the move was not driven by unusually heavy trading.
The next earnings report is due Friday 29 January 2027.
+0.58% market +0.71% American Express rose, moving in line with the market. Read →
American Express rose, moving in line with the market.
The move was an ordinary one for the stock.
In the last session, the company announced a 5% global workforce cut of about 3,500 roles tied to a push to use artificial intelligence in its operations.
Over the last five trading days the shares were roughly unchanged, while the sector ETF rose clearly.
Investors may be weighing the cost savings against possible effects on service.
−3.68% market −0.52% American Express Company fell very sharply. Read →
American Express Company fell very sharply.
American Express fell very sharply in the last session, while the S&P 500 fell clearly, so the stock fell far more than the market.
The company announced it will eliminate about 5% of its global workforce, roughly 3,500 jobs, its first major layoffs in nearly a decade.
Such cuts can signal cost pressure, which likely worried investors even after earnings beat expectations.
Over the last five trading days the stock was roughly unchanged, with the market slipping slightly, so the job-cut news was the main change.
−0.12% market −0.43% American Express Company was roughly flat over the last five trading days, moving less than the S&P 500 and its sector. Read →
American Express Company was roughly flat over the last five trading days, moving less than the S&P 500 and its sector.
The main driver came today, when the company reported quarterly results that beat expectations but also announced plans to cut about 5% of its global workforce, roughly 3,500 jobs, to prepare for AI.
Investors likely reacted to the cost cuts and the weaker outlook, and the shares fell very sharply in today's session, a move about four times a normal day.
Because the stock fell far more than the market today, the week's small change hides a sharp late drop.
+1.66% market +0.53% American Express rose clearly, and no company news explains it. Read →
American Express rose clearly, and no company news explains it.
Over the same day the S&P 500 also rose clearly, so American Express moved in line with the broad market.
Its sector also rose clearly, which points to a rally across financial stocks rather than something specific to the company.
Over the last five trading days the shares rose sharply, a big move for the stock.
Company news from the session was mostly partnership announcements, which are unlikely to have moved the shares much.
−0.09% market −1.11% American Express rose slightly on the trading day as broader markets fell, with rising expenses and the upcoming Q3 earnings in focus. Read →
American Express rose slightly on the trading day as broader markets fell, with rising expenses and the upcoming Q3 earnings in focus.
The stock was roughly flat in the last session while the S&P 500 fell sharply, so it held steady against a weaker market.
The next earnings report is due 23 October 2026.
+1.76% market −1.97% American Express Company rose clearly over the past week, moving against a falling S&P 500 and in line with a firmly higher financial sector. Read →
American Express Company rose clearly over the past week, moving against a falling S&P 500 and in line with a firmly higher financial sector.
The main company-specific news was a $350 million civil penalty and cease-and-desist order from U.S. regulators over weaknesses in its anti-money-laundering controls, which was a negative and likely weighed on sentiment, yet the stock still rose, suggesting broader sector strength partly offset it.
Some analysts also turned more positive, with BMO Capital Markets upgrading the stock to Strong-Buy, which may have supported the gain.
Next, watch the company's earnings report on 23 October 2026, where investors will look for how rising expenses and the cost of fixing its compliance framework affect results.
+2.25% market +0.28% American Express rose sharply, more than the broader market and its sector, with no clear company-specific trigger in the news. Read →
American Express rose sharply, more than the broader market and its sector, with no clear company-specific trigger in the news.
Over the last five trading days the stock rose clearly while the S&P 500 was roughly flat, so it moved against the market and in line with the Financial Services sector.
The day's news was mostly unrelated: the planned retirement of its chief marketing officer, Elizabeth Rutledge, and a defamation lawsuit involving a donor and former ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, which is a reputational story rather than a financial one.
Because neither is likely to move earnings, the most plausible explanation is broad buying in financial stocks, with the sector ETF also rising sharply that session.
Keep in mind that the earlier $350 million anti-money-laundering penalty, which weighed on the stock's story last week, is not the cause of this move.
Learn more · Why do stocks go up and down?