Paying up for future growth expectations.
Shares of American Express rose 3% in pre-market trading on Friday as investors shrugged off a rare earnings miss, one that CEO Stephen Squeri tells Yahoo Finance was fueled by a one-time $100 million hit from the devaluation of the Argentine peso.
“I don’t think anybody [on Wall Street] had the Argentine peso devaluation in there,” Squeri noted.
Instead, investors are more inclined in the early going to give Amex a good grade for the resilience of its business inside a slowing economy — and how it may continue in 2024.
Amex saw fourth-quarter sales at its U.S. consumer services and commercial segments rise 13% and 7%, respectively. International sales jumped 12%.
The company issued 2024 earnings guidance well above the consensus.
“I think it’s slowing down [the economy], and that’s what’s in our guidance, a slightly slower economy. Not a recession, but a slightly slower economy,” Squeri explained. “We like our business model and the reality is that we think that we will perform in a slower growth economy, in a regular steady state economy and in a high growth economy — and I think we’ve shown that.”
The earnings rundown
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Net sales: +11% year over year to $15.8 billion vs. estimate of $15.99 billion
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Credit Losses: +40% year over year to $1.44 billion vs. estimate for $1.39 billion
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Diluted EPS: +27% year over year to $2.62 vs. estimate of $2.65
What else caught our attention: upbeat 2024 guidance
Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance’s Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on Twitter/X @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations, or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
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