Despite credit card giant American Express reporting another round of solid quarterly earnings, with revenue of $8.40bn beating expectations of $8.19bn, and generating EPS of $1.50, also above the $1.48 expected, and boosting its profit guidance for good measure, now projecting full year EPS of $5.80 to $5.90, up from $5.60 to $5.80 (above the consensus estimate of $5.75), AXP stock initially spiked, then immediately slumped back to unchanged, following news that the company’s CEO since 2001, Ken Chenault, is retiring effective February 1, 2018.
The unexpected departure prompted Warren Buffett, the company’s largest shareholder, to share the following parting words ‘Ken’s been the gold standard for corporate leadership and the benchmark that I measure others against. He led the company through 9/11, the financial crisis and the challenges of the last couple of years. American Express always came out stronger. Ken never went for easy, short-term answers, never let day-to-day challenges distract him from what was right for the moderate to long term. No one does a better job when it really counts and he’s always done it with the highest degree of integrity.’
Chenault will be replaced by Stephen Squeri, who has been Vice Chairman since 2015 and prior to that was Group President of the Company’s Global Corporate Services Group.
Full press release below:
American Express Announces Stephen J. Squeri to Succeed Kenneth I. Chenault as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
American Express Company (AXP) said today that its Board of Directors has appointed Stephen J. Squeri Chief Executive Officer and elected him Chairman of the Board, each effective February 1, 2018. Mr. Squeri, 58, will succeed Kenneth I. Chenault, 66, who will retire after a distinguished 37-year career with the Company.
This post was published at Zero Hedge on Oct 18, 2017.
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