SafetyMargin.ioSafetyMargin.io
BlogWatchlistCompare
Compare Stocks › AXP vs WRB

American Express Company (AXP) vs W. R. Berkley Corporation (WRB): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-06-21, AXP is undervalued at $338, with a DCF intrinsic value of $484 and a margin of safety of 30%. WRB is fairly valued at $67, with an intrinsic value of $79 and a margin of safety of 15%. Of the two, AXP has the wider margin of safety.

AXP
American Express Company
$338.00
VS
WRB
W. R. Berkley Corporation
$67.18

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.
WRB
  • ★W. R. Berkley Corporation scores 99/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 10.7% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $1.38 of earning power — management is creating shareholder value.

Risks

AXP
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.93 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $2.4M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
  • ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 5.9% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
WRB
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 3.93 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 1.22 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

Key Valuation Metrics

Learn more →
AXP
WRB
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$3.22B
N/A
FCF Yield
12.88%
21.10
Trailing P/E
14.23
16.77
Forward P/E
13.95
Quality & Moat
12.23%
ROIC
15.61%
34.42%
ROE
20.16%
62.76%
Gross Margin
43.65%
1.61
PEG Ratio
3.93
Balance Sheet Safety
0.19
Net Debt / Equity
Net cash
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
-0.14
1.12%
Dividend Yield
0.60%
AXP: 4Ties: 1WRB: 4
AXPWRB

Historical Fundamentals

Learn more →
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. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

WRB

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

Learn more →
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
WRB
$2.28
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$3.18B
Δ Market Cap
+$7.25B
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

Learn more →
AXP
30.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 30.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $338.00
Fair Value: $483.58
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
WRB
14.8% Margin of Safety
Price is 14.8% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $67.18
Fair Value: $78.85
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

Learn more →
AXP

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

WRB

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $67?

+2.7%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies -5.7%

The market implies +2.7% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding -5.7%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

Learn more →
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.
WRB
99/100
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

Learn more →
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.
WRB
-2.63
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

Learn more →
AXP
Insiders 22.3%Institutions 65.3%Retail & Other 12.3%
No. of Institutional Holders3,665
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.
WRB
Insiders 26.3%Institutions 78.0%
No. of Institutional Holders1,249
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

Learn more →
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
WRB
0
Buys (3M)
19
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $665.29M
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$18.75M
@ $72.61 · 2026-03-03
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$21.49M
@ $71.65 · 2026-02-27
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$39.38M
@ $71.13 · 2026-02-25
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$35.74M
@ $70.70 · 2026-02-20
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$2.84M
@ $70.93 · 2026-02-13
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$6.83M
@ $69.68 · 2026-02-11
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$2.84M
@ $70.88 · 2026-02-06
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$21.45M
@ $68.05 · 2026-02-04
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$33.09M
@ $68.22 · 2026-01-30
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$69.30M
@ $67.35 · 2026-01-28
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$46.90M
@ $67.19 · 2026-01-23
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$42.61M
@ $67.64 · 2026-01-21
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$36.64M
@ $68.49 · 2026-01-16
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$55.62M
@ $68.58 · 2026-01-14
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$32.64M
@ $69.45 · 2026-01-09
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$47.42M
@ $69.61 · 2026-01-07
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$47.17M
@ $70.11 · 2026-01-02
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$62.04M
@ $70.53 · 2025-12-29
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE CO., LTD.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$42.55M
@ $69.71 · 2025-12-22
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

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

Insider Selling Activity

Learn more →
AXP
1
Sells (3M)
18
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $148.07M
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$2.39M
@ $339.36 · 2026-06-15
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
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$3.03M
@ $319.17 · 2025-02-05
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$7.25M
@ $318.69 · 2025-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$3.53M
@ $317.01 · 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
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
WRB
0
Sells (3M)
0
Sells (12M)
No open market insider sales found.
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

Learn more →
AXP
FearGreed
😐Neutral(58/100)

"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.
WRB
FearGreed
😐Neutral(55/100)

"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.

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

Learn more →
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 (58)
WRB
⚪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 (55)
View AXP Full AnalysisView WRB Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: AXP vs WRB

Is American Express Company or W. R. Berkley Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, AXP trades at a 30.1% margin of safety (intrinsic value $484 vs. price $338), compared to WRB's 14.8% margin of safety (intrinsic $79 vs. $67).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, American Express Company or W. R. Berkley Corporation?▼

AXP scores 100/100 (Wide moat), while WRB scores 99/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is American Express Company in financial distress?▼

AXP's Altman Z-Score of 0.9 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. WRB scores 1.2 (Distress zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, American Express Company or W. R. Berkley Corporation?▼

WRB earns 15.6% ROIC versus AXP's 12.2%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, American Express Company's or W. R. Berkley Corporation's?▼

WRB's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to AXP's 94/100 (Very Safe). WRB has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.