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AXP vs. SCHW: American Express vs. Charles Schwab Stock Comparison

How do American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but AXP is classified in Consumer Finance while SCHW is classified in Capital Markets.

Company profile comparison for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
Profile ItemAXPSCHW
NameAmerican Express CompanyThe Charles Schwab Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryConsumer FinanceCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryConsumer FinanceInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization215.24 billion USD158.22 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 1, 1972September 22, 1987
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AXP
SCHW
GSPC
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
Total Return (1Y)-10.80%-0.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)30.19%21.35%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)13.96%4.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AXP
SCHW
GSPC
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)26.18%26.01%
Beta (5Y)1.060.74
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.55%-49.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.91M8.22M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AXP and SCHW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.58-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.74-0.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

American Express (AXP) at 35.93% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 21.12% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AXP.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

35.93%

Max
44.78%
AXP
35.93%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

21.12%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
SCHW
21.12%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 39.33% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of American Express (AXP) at 16.82%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

16.82%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
AXP
16.82%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

39.33%

Max
62.84%
SCHW
39.33%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both American Express (AXP) at 18.43% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 52.67% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

18.43%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
AXP
18.43%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

52.67%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
SCHW
52.67%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
ROE (TTM)35.93%21.12%
ROA (TTM)4.03%2.16%
Net Margin (TTM)16.82%39.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.43%52.67%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both American Express (AXP) at 9.52% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 22.01% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 55.52% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while American Express (AXP) at 9.78% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for SCHW.

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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
Revenue Growth (YoY)9.52%22.01%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.97%4.83%
EPS Growth (YoY)9.78%55.52%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)16.01%9.93%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: American Express (AXP) in Financial Services and Charles Schwab (SCHW) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: American Express (AXP) in Financial Services and Charles Schwab (SCHW) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both American Express (AXP) at 1.13% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 1.33% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

1.13%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
AXP
1.13%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

1.33%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
SCHW
1.33%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both American Express (AXP) at 15.32% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 21.03% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

15.32%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
AXP
15.32%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

21.03%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
SCHW
21.03%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.13%1.33%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)15.32%21.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both American Express (AXP) at 18.08 and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 15.64 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

18.08

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
AXP
18.08
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

15.64

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
SCHW
15.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

American Express (AXP) at 2.95 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 5.85 sits in the pricier quartile — SCHW costs more per dollar of sales.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

2.95

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
AXP
2.95
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

5.85

Max
9.23
SCHW
5.85
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 3.08 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while American Express (AXP) at 6.02 carries an above-peer premium to book — AXP is pricier on assets.

AXP

Financial Services industry group

6.02

Max
7.79
AXP
6.02
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

SCHW

Financial Services industry group

3.08

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
SCHW
3.08
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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American Express (AXP) vs. Charles Schwab (SCHW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for American Express (AXP) and Charles Schwab (SCHW)
MetricAXPSCHW
P/E Ratio (TTM)18.0815.64
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.955.85
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.023.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----