AXP
American Express Company Financial Services - Credit Cards Investor Relations →
American Express Company (AXP) closed at $359.15 as of 2026-02-02, trading 60.6% above its 200-week moving average of $223.69. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from 58.1% last week. The 14-week RSI sits at 50, indicating neutral momentum.
Over the past 2753 weeks of data, AXP has crossed below its 200-week moving average 34 times. On average, these episodes lasted 22 weeks. Historically, investors who bought AXP at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +21.6%.
With a market cap of $247.4 billion, AXP is a large-cap stock. Return on equity stands at 34.0%, indicating strong profitability. The stock trades at 7.4x book value.
The company has been aggressively buying back shares, reducing its share count by 7.8% over the past three years.
Over the past 33.2 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in AXP would have grown to $9757, compared to $2849 for the S&P 500. That represents an annualized return of 14.8% vs 10.6% for the index — confirming AXP as a market-beating investment and the kind of quality company where buying during 200-week moving average touches has historically been rewarded.
In the past 12 months, corporate insiders have made 1 open-market purchase totaling $998,593.
Free cash flow has been declining at a -2.5% compound annual rate. A deteriorating cash flow trend warrants extra scrutiny — the stock may be cheap for a reason.
Growth of $100: AXP vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After AXP Crosses Below the Line?
Across 17 historical episodes, buying AXP when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +37.4% after 12 months (median +36.0%), compared to +18.2% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 81% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +50.9% vs +20.4% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment AXP crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
AXP has crossed below its 200-week MA 34 times with an average 1-year return of +21.6% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1973 | Jul 1973 | 10 | 17.5% | -32.3% | +31435.8% |
| Aug 1973 | Sep 1973 | 3 | 2.8% | -54.3% | +28673.1% |
| Nov 1973 | Nov 1976 | 159 | 64.7% | -47.0% | +30927.2% |
| Dec 1976 | May 1977 | 21 | 10.9% | -3.8% | +43338.1% |
| May 1977 | Jun 1977 | 3 | 5.6% | +6.3% | +45949.5% |
| Jan 1978 | Apr 1978 | 14 | 7.1% | -4.1% | +47897.8% |
| Sep 1978 | May 1979 | 36 | 16.8% | +3.5% | +45494.0% |
| Jul 1979 | Jul 1979 | 1 | 0.3% | +13.8% | +45457.3% |
| Oct 1979 | Apr 1980 | 29 | 19.9% | +21.4% | +46693.4% |
| Jul 1984 | Jul 1984 | 1 | 0.5% | +84.8% | +23063.1% |
| Oct 1987 | Nov 1987 | 1 | 0.0% | +19.5% | +11305.3% |
| Nov 1987 | Jan 1988 | 8 | 11.3% | +16.9% | +11364.7% |
| Mar 1988 | May 1988 | 10 | 7.0% | +26.1% | +10945.0% |
| Nov 1988 | Nov 1988 | 3 | 0.8% | +34.8% | +9940.9% |
| Dec 1988 | Jan 1989 | 1 | 0.2% | +34.5% | +9846.6% |
| Feb 1990 | May 1990 | 13 | 11.7% | -3.7% | +8733.4% |
| Jul 1990 | Mar 1991 | 32 | 34.4% | -3.4% | +8980.4% |
| Apr 1991 | Dec 1992 | 86 | 29.0% | -9.6% | +9258.7% |
| Jan 1993 | Feb 1993 | 1 | 3.4% | +44.9% | +9657.2% |
| Mar 2001 | Apr 2001 | 5 | 8.9% | +11.4% | +1417.3% |
| Jun 2001 | May 2002 | 48 | 38.7% | -6.8% | +1384.5% |
| Jun 2002 | Jun 2003 | 52 | 33.4% | +11.3% | +1362.9% |
| Dec 2007 | Mar 2010 | 118 | 78.2% | -64.2% | +836.9% |
| May 2010 | Jun 2010 | 6 | 6.1% | +25.8% | +1004.7% |
| Jun 2010 | Jul 2010 | 1 | 3.3% | +35.1% | +1037.8% |
| Oct 2010 | Oct 2010 | 3 | 4.5% | +16.2% | +1075.3% |
| Nov 2015 | Dec 2016 | 56 | 28.3% | +0.9% | +483.7% |
| Dec 2016 | Jan 2017 | 1 | 0.7% | +36.2% | +450.3% |
| Mar 2020 | May 2020 | 10 | 22.0% | +93.2% | +424.0% |
| Jun 2020 | Aug 2020 | 6 | 3.0% | +84.2% | +313.4% |
| Aug 2020 | Aug 2020 | 1 | 0.7% | +68.4% | +299.9% |
| Sep 2020 | Sep 2020 | 1 | 1.5% | +85.0% | +299.4% |
| Oct 2020 | Nov 2020 | 2 | 7.0% | +92.7% | +319.6% |
| Oct 2023 | Oct 2023 | 2 | 0.3% | +97.9% | +160.1% |
| Average | 22 | — | +21.6% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02