Core Insights - Sustained revenue growth is a critical indicator of a company's success, but achieving this has become increasingly difficult in the past 15 years due to economic slowdowns and rising inflation [2] - Companies need a comprehensive growth blueprint that includes a grand vision, effective empowerment mechanisms, and a clear growth path to reverse the trend of declining growth rates [2][3] - Revenue growth is the key driver of corporate performance, with a 5% increase in annual revenue growth correlating to a 3-4% increase in total shareholder return (TSR) [2] Revenue Growth Challenges - The median annual growth rate for sample companies was only 2.8% in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 12.5% achieving over 10% growth [3] - A significant "mean reversion" phenomenon exists, where only one-third of companies in the top 25% of growth from 2009 to 2014 maintained that growth in the following five years [3] Growth Principles - **Principle 1: Competitive Advantage** Companies with high return on invested capital (ROIC) can attract more capital and create a virtuous cycle of growth and returns [5] - **Principle 2: Capitalize on Trends** Focusing on high-growth, high-profit sectors can enhance shareholder returns by 1-2 percentage points [7] - **Principle 3: Avoid Mediocrity** Companies that outperform their industry in growth can achieve an additional 5 percentage points in shareholder returns [9] - **Principle 4: Strengthen Core Business** 83% of revenue growth for sample companies comes from their core business, emphasizing the need to activate and strengthen this area [10] - **Principle 5: Expand Boundaries** Companies that venture into related fields can see an average increase of 1.5 percentage points in shareholder returns [13] - **Principle 6: Focus on Familiarity** Companies that expand into highly related fields can achieve up to 2 percentage points more in shareholder returns [15] - **Principle 7: Dominate Local Markets** Companies that fail to grow in their home markets struggle to achieve overall growth, with less than 20% of those with low local growth outperforming their peers [19] - **Principle 8: Leverage Local Strengths** Companies with strong local growth can gain an additional 2.6 percentage points in returns through international expansion [20] - **Principle 9: Systematic Acquisitions** Systematic acquirers, who make multiple small acquisitions annually, outperform those using other acquisition strategies [23][24] - **Principle 10: Strategic Divestitures** Companies that strategically divest underperforming segments can achieve higher shareholder returns compared to those relying on large acquisitions [27] Conclusion - Companies must establish clear growth objectives that exceed business inertia and design coherent growth paths that incorporate multiple principles to achieve sustainable growth [30]

Core Viewpoint - American Express reported strong Q2 performance with revenue of $17.856 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, and adjusted EPS of $4.08, which is 5.15% higher than Wall Street's forecast [1] Financial Performance - Revenue increased by 9% year-over-year, and adjusted EPS grew by 17% when excluding the impact of the sale of Accertify-related earnings [1][5] - Credit quality indicators remained robust, with a stable percentage of loans overdue by more than 30 days, even healthier than pre-pandemic levels [4] - Total cardholder loans and receivables reached $211.976 billion, reflecting a 2.2% quarter-over-quarter and 9.3% year-over-year growth [5] Business Segments - The highest revenue-generating segments were U.S. Consumer Services at $8.553 billion and Business Services at $4.212 billion, with International Card Services showing significant growth at $3.232 billion [7] - Management reiterated guidance for FY 2025, targeting a midpoint revenue growth of 9% and adjusted EPS growth of 14% [5] Shareholder Returns - The quarterly dividend was increased by 17% to $0.82, resulting in a total shareholder return rate (dividends + buybacks) of 4.04% [7] - Aggressive stock buybacks have boosted the return on equity to 32.39%, making the current price-to-book ratio of 6.65 times appear more reasonable [8] Valuation Metrics - The current price-to-earnings ratio stands at 21.37, significantly higher than the financial sector median of 13.75, but the gap has narrowed to 8.37% compared to historical averages [10] - Analysts estimate a fair value of $393.50 per share, with an expected upside of 27.8% based on projected EPS growth [11] Economic Context - Despite concerns about inflation and its potential impact on consumer spending, American Express's performance indicates strong asset quality, particularly among its affluent customer base [12]