Is American Express Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?

American Express Company (AXP), a New York-based integrated payments company, operates in the United States and internationally with a market capitalization of $225 billion. Classified as a mega-cap stock due to its substantial size and influence in the credit services industry, AXP has recently underperformed the Nasdaq Composite ($NASX).

While AXP's stock reached a 52-week high of $387.49 on December 12, 2025, it has slipped 14.3% from that peak. Over the past three months, the stock has grown 4.9%, outperforming the Nasdaq's 1.9% decline. However, on a longer term basis, AXP has only grown 1.5% over the past 52 weeks, trailing the Nasdaq's 21.6% return. Since this month, AXP has been trading below its 200-day and 50-day moving averages.

AXP's mixed Q2 2026 earnings report on July 24 caused the stock to decline 4.3%, with its revenue rising 19.4% from the prior year to $19.6 billion, exceeding expectations. Despite this, its adjusted EPS of $4.53 topped Wall Street's estimates. For the full year, AXP expects revenue growth of 10%, slightly higher than the previous outlook of 9-10%, with EPS guidance of $17.30 to $17.90.

Among the 31 analysts covering AXP, the overall consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with a mean price target of $376.10, offering a 12.9% upside potential.