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Looking up the ticker with the regulator···
0s · usually 20–30 seconds for a cold read
American Express Company
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
Signals align: quality at a discount to the sector
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4 of 5 met · composite in line with peers
Business quality, valuation against the sector, and position in the 52-week range — whether they line up or not.
Mixed signals
2 signals unavailable
Profitability
3/4
Debt & liquidity
1/3
Efficiency
0/2
FCF yield of 6.4% runs +41% above the sector median, and ROE of 34.0% sits +127% above the sector median of 15.0% — capital returns that few Financials names match. FCF grew 24.0% year over year, outpacing the sector median of 15.4% by +56%, and the most recent quarter's EPS landed modestly ahead of consensus. The balance sheet is the clearest offset: Debt/EBITDA of 3.1× exceeds the sector median of 1.4× by +115%, and the F-Score of 4/9 reflects that strain — the efficiency sub-score contributed nothing. On valuation, P/B of 7.0× runs +144% above the sector median of 2.9×, though the P/E of 20.7× sits closer to the median at 17.4×; consensus models continued earnings growth, and the realized three-year EPS CAGR per SEC filings has been strong, so the forward read and the track record are broadly aligned here.
| Ticker | Name | F-Score | ROE | Revenue YoY | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AXP | American Express Company | 4/9 | 34% | +6% |
Quarter-by-quarter classification · a retrospective read by the current logic · not a price forecast
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. The method did not see these quarters in real time; this is the current logic applied to past reports.
The market prices in earnings growth; analyst sentiment is strengthening; has mostly beaten consensus.
Price against next year's expected earnings. The forward P/E already carries analyst optimism — read it alongside the “Versus consensus” line.
A forward P/E below the current one means the market expects earnings to grow; above it, to fall. The historical growth is realized figures from SEC filings, not a forecast.
The three-month change in the share of positive analyst ratings. This is sentiment, not an earnings-estimate revision, and not a call to act.
When AXP reports on 2026-10-23, track revenue year over year alongside FCF growth — the current 15.4% FCF growth rate is a key profitability signal to recheck. Also watch whether the F-Score's efficiency sub-score (currently 0/2) shows any improvement in asset turnover.
On SEC EDGAR, open AXP's most recent 10-K and read the Liquidity and Capital Resources section. The Debt/EBITDA of 1.42× sits 2.2× above the sector median — management's discussion should explain the funding structure behind that figure and any planned changes.
Pick two or three companies from the same-sector table in section 06 and line up one metric — P/B at 2.87× or FCF yield at 4.56% are natural starting points. The table is alphabetical with no ranking, so the comparison is yours to frame without any implied ordering.
Steps you can check yourself, based on the figures in this brief.
Piotroski F-Score: nine binary tests of financial strength from the annual report. A ✓ marks a test passed, a dot (·) a test failed.
Over 4 years: +47%-12%-29%+32%
Over 4 years: 2.022.583.543.06
Over 4 years: +23%+9%+4%+6%
The context on the right shows how each figure compares with the sector median. The trend below tracks the change over recent fiscal years.
Beat consensus in 7 of 8 recent quarters — the company clears estimates regularly (consensus is often set conservatively).
Last quarter's EPS against consensus, plus the estimated date of the next report.
| — |
| BAC | Bank of America | 5/9 | 10% | +7% | — |
| BLK | BlackRock | 3/9 | 11% | +19% | 29% |
| C | Citigroup | 3/9 | 7% | +6% | — |
| CB | Chubb | 6/9 | 15% | +7% | — |
| GS | Goldman Sachs | 5/9 | 14% | +9% | — |
| JPM | JPMorgan Chase | 3/9 | 16% | +3% | — |
| MA | Mastercard | 7/9 | 210% | +16% | 58% |
| MS | Morgan Stanley | 3/9 | 16% | +14% | — |
| PGR | Progressive | 6/9 | 40% | +16% | — |
| SCHW | Charles Schwab | 5/9 | 18% | +22% | — |
| SPGI | S&P Global | 7/9 | 14% | +8% | 42% |
| USB | U.S. Bancorp | 7/9 | 12% | +4% | — |
| V | Visa | 5/9 | 64% | +11% | 60% |
| WFC | Wells Fargo | 3/9 | 12% | +2% | — |
A sample of 15 companies in the sector including the target, alphabetical, unranked. Data from the latest SEC annual reports.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
A simplified retrospective read: no analyst forecast (not available historically); the source is the annual report as of the date, so neighbouring quarters can rest on the same data. Quarters with the same classification in a row are merged into one row — each row is one change in the read, not a separate quarter. One ticker is an illustration of the classification logic, not statistics. How we calculate →
The last few quarters are recent context, not a fixed rate. Consensus for near quarters is set low, so companies clear it routinely; over long horizons the forecasts run the other way, too high.
A description of what the market and analysts expect. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. Analyst forecasts run systematically optimistic over long horizons — read them with that discount.