Amex’s affluent clientele set it apart

Article Excerpt

AMERICAN EXPRESS CO. $86 (New York symbol AXP, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $94.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.8; Dividend yield: 1.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. americanexpress.com) gets most of its revenue from the fees it charges merchants who accept its charge cards (which have no pre-set spending limit and must be paid in full each month) and credit cards (which can carry a balance). Unlike other credit card companies, such as Visa and MasterCard, Amex is also a lender. That lets it collect interest payments on its cardholders’outstanding balances. Default risk is lower than it seems Lending money exposes Amex to bad loans, but it cuts this risk in two ways: it charges its cardholders higher annual fees than its rivals, and it mainly caters to clients with above-average incomes and good credit histories. In the latest quarter, it wrote off just 1.7% of its loans, compared to 1.9% a year earlier. In addition,…