Cost cuts will fuel Amex’s growth

Article Excerpt

AMERICAN EXPRESS $82 (New York symbol AXP, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $82.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 1.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.americanexpress.com) earned $1.4 billion in the three months ended December 31, 2014, up 10.6% from $1.3 billion a year earlier. Per-share earnings rose 14.9%, to $1.39 from $1.21, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue gained 6.6%, to $9.1 billion from $8.5 billion, as cardholder spending rose 6% and credit card balances grew by 7%. The company is now cutting 6% of its workforce as part of a plan to improve its overall efficiency. Severance costs cut its earnings by $206 million in the latest quarter. However, the savings will help Amex invest in new growth initiatives, including adapting its networks to process purchases made from smartphones. American Express is a buy. buy. …