Bank of America has raised its rating on American Express (AXP, Financial) from Neutral to Buy, while adjusting the price target to $274 from $325. The financial institution suggests that the recent decline in the stock price offers long-term investors a chance to acquire shares in this established company at an appealing valuation.
Verizon (VZ) also received a positive outlook, as Evercore ISI upgraded its status to Outperform from In Line, with the price target lifted to $48 from $44. The firm credits Verizon's strong performance in improving postpaid subscriber trends, continued business wireless customer growth, and consistent achievement in broadband subscriptions.
In the defense sector, Goldman Sachs made notable changes by upgrading L3Harris Technologies (LHX) from Sell to Buy, increasing the target price to $263 from $198. The upgrade reflects the company's adaptability to the evolving demands of the Department of Defense. Additionally, HII (HII) was upgraded from Sell to Buy, with a revised target of $234 up from $145, due to expectations of a high-priority status of Navy shipbuilding in the defense budget.
Cinemark (CNK) saw an upgrade from JPMorgan to Overweight from Neutral, with its price target adjusted to $34 from $30. The firm expresses increased confidence in the company's growth prospects for 2026 and 2027 following input from CinemaCon.
On the downside, Booz Allen (BAH) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs from Buy to Neutral, with the price target reduced to $109 from $150. The decision comes amid updates from the Department of Government Efficiency that have altered the firm’s perspective on the shares.
Chevron (CVX) and Occidental Petroleum (OXY) faced downgrades from Scotiabank, with Chevron’s target revised to $143 from $160 and Occidental's to $40 from $60. Concerns over potential reductions in buybacks and leverage issues, respectively, were noted as key reasons.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast
Based on the one-year price targets offered by 26 analysts, the average target price for American Express Co (AXP, Financial) is $298.11 with a high estimate of $371.00 and a low estimate of $230.00. The average target implies an upside of 20.37% from the current price of $247.66. More detailed estimate data can be found on the American Express Co (AXP) Forecast page.
Based on the consensus recommendation from 31 brokerage firms, American Express Co's (AXP, Financial) average brokerage recommendation is currently 2.6, indicating "Hold" status. The rating scale ranges from 1 to 5, where 1 signifies Strong Buy, and 5 denotes Sell.
Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for American Express Co (AXP, Financial) in one year is $267.86, suggesting a upside of 8.16% from the current price of $247.655. GF Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value that the stock should be traded at. It is calculated based on the historical multiples the stock has traded at previously, as well as past business growth and the future estimates of the business' performance. More detailed data can be found on the American Express Co (AXP) Summary page.
