Compare StocksAXP vs L

American Express Company (AXP) vs Loews Corporation (L)

AXP
American Express Company
$319.68
VS
L
Loews Corporation
$111.70

Rewards

AXP
  • Gross margin of 62.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • American Express Company scores 100/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
L
  • Loews Corporation scores 97/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • Share count has been reduced by 13% over the past 4 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $2.16 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.

Risks

AXP
  • Altman Z-Score of 0.93 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
  • 7 insider sales totaling $36.4M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
  • Free cash flow has declined at a 5.9% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
L
  • Altman Z-Score of 0.69 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
  • 17 insider sales with no purchases over the past 12 months — a persistent pattern of insider selling.

Key Valuation Metrics

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AXP
L
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$2.70B
N/A
FCF Yield
11.75%
19.96
Trailing P/E
14.00
15.90
Forward P/E
38.52
Quality & Moat
12.37%
ROIC
6.46%
31.48%
ROE
-4.74%
62.76%
Gross Margin
36.50%
1.13
PEG Ratio
0.11
Balance Sheet Safety
1.78
Debt / Equity
0.50
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.83
1.19%
Dividend Yield
0.22%
AXP: 5Ties: 1L: 3
AXPL

Historical Fundamentals

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AXP

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

L

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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AXP
$6.18
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$23.29B
Δ Market Cap
+$144.01B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
L
$1.82
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Value Creator
Σ Retained
$4.35B
Δ Market Cap
+$7.93B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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AXP
34.4% Margin of Safety
Price is 34.4% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $319.68
Fair Value: $487.58
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
L
80.6% Margin of Safety
Price is 80.6% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $111.70
Fair Value: $575.92
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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AXP

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

L

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $112?

+4.2%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies -2.6%

The market implies +4.2% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding -2.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

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AXP
100/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
L
97/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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AXP
-2.51
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
L
-2.53
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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AXP
Insiders 22.3%Institutions 65.6%Retail & Other 12.1%
No. of Institutional Holders3,664
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
L
Insiders 18.9%Institutions 60.5%Retail & Other 20.6%
No. of Institutional Holders1,047
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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AXP
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4,054
@ $176.26 · 2025-04-09
ANGELAKIS MICHAEL J
Director
$998,593
@ $269.89 · 2025-03-07
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
L
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
LOCKER JONATHAN C.
Director
$499,896
@ $80.63 · 2024-07-30
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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AXP
7
Sells (3M)
19
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $151.85M
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$909,661
@ $300.02 · 2026-03-06
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $340.67 · 2026-02-19
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.82M
@ $346.73 · 2026-02-12
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$5.35M
@ $356.58 · 2026-02-09
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$4.60M
@ $360.99 · 2026-02-09
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$8.35M
@ $356.91 · 2026-02-05
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$9.60M
@ $350.01 · 2026-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$538,902
@ $384.93 · 2025-12-12
RUTLEDGE ELIZABETH
Officer
$18.01M
@ $360.21 · 2025-10-31
TABISH DOUGLAS J
Officer
$894,359
@ $355.61 · 2025-10-23
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$1.75M
@ $350.73 · 2025-10-22
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$37.03M
@ $329.86 · 2025-09-04
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$2.83M
@ $325.88 · 2025-09-03
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$7.67M
@ $326.37 · 2025-09-02
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$23.37M
@ $296.90 · 2025-08-06
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$1.71M
@ $310.77 · 2025-07-29
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$15.47M
@ $309.50 · 2025-07-29
MARQUEZ RAFAEL
Officer
$3.56M
@ $296.93 · 2025-05-20
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.60M
@ $275.50 · 2025-05-06
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$799,009
@ $264.66 · 2025-04-29
MARRS ANNA
President
$6.32M
@ $287.88 · 2025-03-04
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$897,590
@ $296.43 · 2025-02-26
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$2.29M
@ $309.96 · 2025-02-11
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$16.24M
@ $319.45 · 2025-02-06
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$7.25M
@ $318.69 · 2025-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$3.53M
@ $317.01 · 2025-02-05
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$3.03M
@ $319.17 · 2025-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $313.94 · 2025-01-28
LE CAILLEC CHRISTOPHE
Chief Financial Officer
$1.82M
@ $303.48 · 2024-11-27
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$374,010
@ $287.70 · 2024-11-07
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$48.90M
@ $286.57 · 2024-11-07
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$3.55M
@ $270.98 · 2024-10-29
WILLIAMS ANRE D.
Officer
$21.05M
@ $270.26 · 2024-10-22
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$666,213
@ $240.68 · 2024-05-22
SKYLER JENNIFER
Officer
$3.58M
@ $241.73 · 2024-05-10
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$729,770
@ $232.41 · 2024-05-06
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
L
3
Sells (3M)
17
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $3.46M
SCHWARTZ MARK S
Officer and Treasurer
$346,500
@ $110.00 · 2026-02-17
BERMAN ANN E
Director
$211,728
@ $110.16 · 2026-02-10
ALPERT MARC A
General Counsel
$383,983
@ $109.87 · 2026-02-10
SCOTT RICHARD WALDO
Chief Investment Officer
$104,740
@ $104.74 · 2025-12-11
HARRIS WALTER L
Director
$155,563
@ $107.88 · 2025-12-01
BERMAN ANN E
Director
$156,096
@ $108.10 · 2025-12-01
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$155,923
@ $108.13 · 2025-12-01
DIKER CHARLES M
Director
$155,635
@ $107.93 · 2025-12-01
HARRIS WALTER L
Director
$137,396
@ $96.69 · 2025-09-02
BERMAN ANN E
Director
$137,465
@ $96.67 · 2025-09-02
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$137,493
@ $96.69 · 2025-09-02
DIKER CHARLES M
Director
$137,593
@ $96.76 · 2025-09-02
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$113,068
@ $88.82 · 2025-06-03
HARRIS WALTER L
Director
$113,157
@ $88.82 · 2025-06-02
BERMAN ANN E
Director
$113,068
@ $88.82 · 2025-06-02
DIKER CHARLES M
Director
$112,583
@ $88.37 · 2025-06-02
SCOTT RICHARD WALDO
Chief Investment Officer
$792,950
@ $87.92 · 2025-05-08
WELTERS ANTHONY
Director
$103,983
@ $86.87 · 2025-03-03
HARRIS WALTER L
Director
$103,983
@ $86.87 · 2025-03-03
BERMAN ANN E
Director
$104,019
@ $86.90 · 2025-03-03
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$104,007
@ $86.89 · 2025-03-03
DIKER CHARLES M
Director
$103,816
@ $86.73 · 2025-03-03
SCOTT RICHARD WALDO
Chief Investment Officer
$689,405
@ $84.60 · 2025-02-25
ALPERT MARC A
General Counsel
$382,680
@ $85.04 · 2025-02-11
TISCH JONATHAN M.
Retired
$639,494
@ $86.81 · 2025-02-07
TISCH ANDREW H
Divisional Officer
$1.37M
@ $84.67 · 2025-01-03
TISCH JONATHAN M.
Divisional Officer
$1.38M
@ $84.86 · 2025-01-02
WELTERS ANTHONY
Director
$99,484
@ $86.81 · 2024-12-02
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$99,484
@ $86.81 · 2024-12-02
HARRIS WALTER L
Director
$99,278
@ $86.63 · 2024-12-02
BERMAN ANN E
Director
$99,106
@ $86.48 · 2024-12-02
DIKER CHARLES M
Director
$99,507
@ $86.83 · 2024-12-02
WELTERS ANTHONY
Director
$88,574
@ $81.41 · 2024-09-03
BERMAN ANN E
Director
$88,460
@ $81.38 · 2024-09-03
HARRIS WALTER L
Director
$88,574
@ $81.41 · 2024-09-03
FRIBOURG PAUL J
Director
$88,574
@ $81.41 · 2024-09-03
DIKER CHARLES M
Director
$88,531
@ $81.37 · 2024-09-03
SIEGEL KENNETH I
Officer
$560,909
@ $80.21 · 2024-08-23
ALPERT MARC A
General Counsel
$540,470
@ $77.21 · 2024-08-12
SCHWARTZ MARK S
Officer and Treasurer
$212,553
@ $80.88 · 2024-07-30
ALPERT MARC A
General Counsel
$217,083
@ $80.79 · 2024-07-30
WELTERS ANTHONY
Director
$72,995
@ $75.80 · 2024-06-03
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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AXP
FearGreed
😐Neutral(49/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
L
FearGreed
😏Greed(67/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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AXP
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (49)
L
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Greed (67)
View AXP Full AnalysisView L Full Analysis
AXP vs L: Which Is the Better Buy? | SafetyMargin.io