American Express Earnings Surpass Expectations as Card Spending Increases 9% -- Barrons.com

By Kit Norton

American Express on Friday posted better-than-expected second-quarter profit as its mostly affluent cardholder base continued to spend in the past three months.

Amex's second-quarter net income rose to $3.11 billion from $2.88 billion a year ago. That amounted to earnings of $4.53 a share, coming in above Wall Street's expectation of $4.40. Revenue grew 10% to $19.64 billion, slightly missing the analyst consensus view of $19.69 billion, according to FactSet.

Overall cardmembers' spending, which American Express refers to as billed business, rose 9% on a foreign-exchange adjusted basis.

Looking ahead, Amex now expects full-year revenue growth of 10%, from the previous 9% to 10% view. The company maintained its 2026 profit guidance at $17.30 to $17.90 a share.

Investors track results from the New York-based business closely because its cards are so widely used by high earners and large companies.

Write to Kit Norton at kit.norton@barrons.com

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July 24, 2026 07:00 ET (11:00 GMT)