Institutional investors boost American Express holdings in Q1

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC filed a Form 13F showing it bought 26,367 shares of American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) in the first quarter, a purchase valued at about $8.07 million. The filing also noted that other large investors increased their stakes during the period, including Norges Bank, Capital World Investors, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA and Bank of America Corp, bringing institutional ownership of the payment‑services firm to roughly 84.3 % of its outstanding shares.

Rathbones Group PLC disclosed that it raised its American Express position by 7,320 shares in the same quarter, expanding its holding to 16,740 shares worth about $5.06 million. The report listed additional investors such as Brighton Jones LLC, Sivia Capital Partners LLC, Schnieders Capital Management LLC, Howland Capital Management LLC and HUB Investment Partners LLC, all of which added or expanded positions in the stock. Analyst commentary during the period included rating adjustments by Royal Bank of Canada, HSBC and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

These filings reflect a broader trend of hedge funds and pension funds increasing exposure to American Express as part of their quarterly portfolio rebalancing.