With a market cap of $200.4 billion, American Express Company (AXP) is a global financial services firm known for its premium credit cards, payment network, and travel-related services. The New York-based company operates a unique closed-loop model, serving as both the card issuer and payment processor, enabling greater control over transactions and customer data. 

The credit card titan is set to announce its fiscal Q1 2026 results on Thursday, April 23. Ahead of this event, analysts forecast AXP to report a profit of $3.98 per share, an increase of 9.3% from $3.64 per share in the year-ago quarter. It has surpassed Wall Street's earnings estimates in three of the past four quarters, while missing on another quarter. 

For fiscal 2026, analysts expect the credit card issuer and global payments company to report an EPS of $17.53, up 14% from $15.38 in fiscal 2025.

Shares of American Express have soared 12.1% over the past 52 weeks, trailing the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) nearly 13.7% increase but surpassing the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLF) 1.7% dip over the same period. 

On Mar. 2, American Express announced that its Board of Directors had approved a 16% increase in its quarterly dividend, raising it by $0.13 from $0.82 to $0.95 per share, in line with the planned increase outlined in its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release. The higher dividend will be paid on May 8, 2026, to shareholders of record as of April 3, 2026, reflecting the company’s continued commitment to returning capital to shareholders and confidence in its financial strength and earnings outlook.

Analysts' consensus view on AXP stock is cautiously optimistic, with a "Moderate Buy" rating overall. Among 30 analysts covering the stock, nine recommend "Strong Buy," two have a "Moderate Buy," 18 "Holds," and one suggests "Strong Sell." Its average analyst price target of $374.37 implies an upswing potential of 25.8% from the current market prices.