The most recent trading session ended with American Express (AXP) standing at $301.88, reflecting a -0.4% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.55%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.06%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 1.24%.The upcoming earnings release of American Express will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on January 24, 2025. The company is expected to report EPS of $3 ...

Berkshire Hathaway's Stock Portfolio Adjustments - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway sold $133 billion worth of stocks in the first nine months of 2024, including reducing its stake in Apple and selling nearly a quarter of its Bank of America holdings [1] - Apple, American Express, Bank of America, and Coca-Cola accounted for 70% of Berkshire's $271 billion stock portfolio in Q3 2024 [2] - Buffett is raising cash as the S&P 500 trades at a historically high 30 times earnings [2] Coca-Cola Investment Analysis - Coca-Cola remains a core holding for Berkshire, with 400 million shares worth $25 billion and paying $776 million in annual dividends as of Q3 2024 [6] - Coca-Cola's unit case volume declined slightly last quarter due to weak consumer spending, but management expects long-term revenue growth slightly above the global beverage industry's 4% historical rate [7] - The stock trades at 21 times 2025 earnings estimates with a 3.14% dividend yield, offering steady passive income despite limited growth potential [8] American Express Investment Analysis - Berkshire holds 151 million shares of American Express, a position it has maintained for 30 years [9] - American Express reported $9.9 billion in earnings over the past year, reflecting strong growth from $12.5 million in 1964 and $1.4 billion in 1994 [9] - Net card fees grew 18% YoY to $2.2 billion in Q3, driven by strong customer service and a card membership model [10] - Total transaction volumes grew 6% YoY, with earnings expected to grow 25% in 2024 due to strong card fee growth and low delinquency rates [11] - The stock trades at 20 times 2025 earnings estimates, above its 10-year average P/E of 18, but long-term earnings growth is expected at 14% annually [12]

Stock Performance - The stock of the credit card issuer and global payments company fell by 1.19% in the past month, underperforming the Finance sector's loss of 4.94% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.36% [1] - American Express (AXP) closed the latest trading day at $297.33, indicating a -1.24% change from the previous session's end, lagging the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.07% [2] Earnings and Revenue Projections - The company is scheduled to release its earnings on January 24, 2025, with projected earnings per share (EPS) of $3.02, reflecting a 15.27% increase from the same quarter last year [6] - The latest consensus estimate calls for revenue of $17.19 billion, up 8.82% from the prior-year quarter [6] - For the full year, analysts are expecting earnings of $13.41 per share and revenue of $65.97 billion, marking changes of +19.63% and +9.01%, respectively, from last year [8] Valuation Metrics - American Express has a Forward P/E ratio of 22.45, trading at a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.22 [9] - The company's PEG ratio is currently 1.72, higher than the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry's average PEG ratio of 1.01 [4] Analyst Estimates and Rankings - The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.1% upward over the past month, and American Express currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [7] - The Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 61, positioning it in the top 25% of all 250+ industries [12] Industry Context - The Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry is part of the Finance sector, which has seen a loss of 4.94% in the past month [1][12]

History proves time and time again that long-term investing is one of the best ways to build wealth in the stock market. The key to achieving this is buying and holding shares of quality companies that can perform across economic and market cycles and allowing your investments to grow over time.One important part of long-term investing is diversifying your portfolio across various sectors. The financial industry offers a wide range of companies that provide essential services across the economy and can thri ...

Warren Buffett once wrote, "The weeds wither away in significance as the flowers bloom." Weeds represented poor-performing stocks in a portfolio, while flowers represented winning stocks. Using Buffett's analogy, his Berkshire Hathaway garden had lots of blooming flowers in 2024.Some of those flowers are more beautiful than others. These three stocks have made Buffett the most money in 2024. Are they no-brainer buys for the new year?1. Jefferies Financial GroupJefferies Financial Group (JEF 1.37%) ranks as ...

In the latest trading session, American Express (AXP) closed at $298.80, marking a +0.05% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.73% gain on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.16%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.98%.The the stock of credit card issuer and global payments company has fallen by 0.88% in the past month, leading the Finance sector's loss of 2.93% and undershooting the S&P 500's gain of 0.34%.Analysts and investors alike will be ...

Warren Buffett appears to be on track to beat the S&P 500 again in 2024, but not by much. Berkshire Hathaway's shares are up year-to-date only around 3% more than the S&P.However, some of the stocks in Berkshire's portfolio are faring significantly better. These three dividend stocks owned by Buffett have trounced the market this year. Can they do it again in 2025?1. American ExpressBuffett has owned shares of American Express (AXP 1.90%) for decades. The credit card giant ranks as the second-largest holdin ...

Warren Buffett's decades of investing success has led many investors to try to follow in his footsteps. While there's no way to replicate the growth Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio has achieved under Buffett's longtime tenure as CEO, there are a handful of stocks the company owns that investors should consider buying.Two no-brainer Buffett investments to buy right now are American Express (AXP 1.84%) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -0.04%). Here's why.1. American ExpressBuffett has a long history with Amer ...

The $299 billion investment portfolio Warren Buffett oversees at Berkshire Hathaway may house three prominent stock splits in the new year.Over the last two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been the hottest thing since sliced bread on Wall Street. The virtually limitless ceiling that AI offers has professional and retail investors salivating. However, AI isn't the only catalyst that's been sending the broader market higher. In 2024, excitement surrounding stock splits has played an undeniably importa ...

Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate long headed by Warren Buffett, owns dozens of stocks in its massive public equities portfolio. Investors would be wise to look here for potential buying opportunities.One unstoppable financial stock with a 15% weighting in the Oracle of Omaha's portfolio has soared 58% in 2024 (as of Dec. 9). Should you invest $100 in this company right now?Unique position in the payments landscapeThe financial services business that has crushed the market this year is credit card heavyw ...