American Express Co (AXP) scored on five pillars from its reported financial statements, and ranked against 261 Financials companies.
American Express Co (AXP) scores 7.1 out of 10 as of , computed from its reported financial statements. That reads as high quality. The reading rests on efficiency, and solvency is what holds it back.
Data provided by Twelve Data. Scores are computed by Lemma Analysis from reported financials.
American Express Co’s returns on capital beat their cost in almost every measured year, by a clear margin: 4 of 4 indicators passed.
Quantitative signs of a moat, read from the filed statements. This is not a judgement of where it comes from (brand, network effects, switching costs). How Lemma measures a moat →
As of October 16, 2026, American Express Co scores 7.1 out of 10 on the Lemma Quality Score, a reading of high quality. Businesses in this band tend to combine good returns with a sound balance sheet, even if one pillar lags the others. Nothing in it comes from the share price or from forecasts: it is American Express Co’s own reported numbers, scored pillar by pillar.
Ranked with the 261 Financials companies Lemma publishes, the score sits at the 85th percentile, among the stronger quarter of the group. A typical company in the group scores 5.9, and the best quarter starts from 6.8. American Express Co is above that typical reading.
On profitability, American Express Co scores 7.8, a strong reading. Its peers have a median of 6.8 across 255 Financials companies, which places it above them, at the 74th percentile. High profitability means each unit of capital and of sales is turning into more profit than at most of its peers, which is usually the first sign of pricing power or a cost advantage.
Solvency scores 5.0 out of 10, which reads as average. The median across 140 Financials companies is 8.5, so American Express Co is well below its peers on this pillar and ranks at the 8th percentile. Middling solvency says the balance sheet is neither a strength nor a constraint today.
On growth, American Express Co scores 6.2, an average reading. Its peers have a median of 4.6 across 241 Financials companies, which places it well above them, at the 73rd percentile. Average growth reflects a business expanding at roughly the pace of its sector, without a clear acceleration or decline.
On efficiency, American Express Co scores 9.7, a strong reading. Its peers have a median of 5.8 across 211 Financials companies, which places it well above them, at the 89th percentile. A strong efficiency reading usually shows up as healthy cash conversion: reported profit arriving as real cash rather than staying on the balance sheet.
Predictability scores 7.3 out of 10, which reads as strong. The median across 256 Financials companies is 4.9, so American Express Co is well above its peers on this pillar and ranks at the 91st percentile. Steady results like these are what make a long term view of the business easier to hold.
The gap between American Express Co’s best and worst pillar is wide: efficiency at 9.7 against solvency at 5.0, 4.7 points apart. An average of two readings this different deserves a closer look than the headline number. Leading with efficiency points to disciplined use of capital, a strength that compounds quietly. When solvency is the soft spot, the question is how much of the cash flow is already spoken for by debt.
Closing the gap on solvency would do the most for the overall. At the median of Financials companies, 8.5, American Express Co would score about 7.8 instead of 7.1. The weights add up to 100 points (profitability 25, solvency 20, growth 20, efficiency 15, predictability 20), and American Express Co has a reading on every pillar.
For a fair comparison, start with companies of a similar size: the Financials companies below are nearest to American Express Co by market value, each scored on the same pillars.
How much profit the company generates from its capital and sales.
The company’s ability to service debt and meet its obligations.
How fast revenue, earnings and cash flow are compounding.
How well assets and earnings convert into cash and output.
How stable and consistent results have been over time.
Each metric is scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks, where higher is better. Metrics roll up into five pillars, and the pillars combine into the overall score using the weights shown. Sector-sensitive metrics are judged relative to peers in the same sector.
This score is a systematic, backward-looking read of reported fundamentals. It does not judge valuation, management quality, competitive moat, or future prospects, and can be distorted by one-off items or unusual accounting. Treat it as a starting point, not a recommendation.
Educational only. Not investment advice.
On this reading American Express Co scores 7.1 out of 10, which reads as high quality. Its strongest pillar is efficiency, its weakest is solvency. Quality is not the same as a good investment: the score says nothing about the price you would pay.
American Express Co ranks at the 85th percentile of the 261 Financials companies Lemma publishes a score for. The median there is 5.9 and the top quarter starts at 6.8, against American Express Co’s 7.1.
Five pillars, each scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks and then weighted into one overall reading: profitability, solvency, growth, efficiency and predictability. Everything comes from reported financials, and nothing comes from price, sentiment or forecasts.
This page last changed on October 16, 2026. The score moves with the financial statements, so the page changes when a new filing moves the reading rather than on a schedule. Live figures for AXP are in the app.
No. Quality and valuation are separate questions, and a good business at the wrong price is still a bad purchase. Score the business here, then price it with a DCF you control.
Inside Lemma Analysis the same five pillars run on every company we cover, with the metrics behind each one, current fundamentals, a DCF you control and a watchlist that tells you when the price catches up.
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