American Express vs Capital One
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KIRAβs take AI analyst
I put American Express and Capital One side by side, using each oneβs latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- American Express is the larger business, with $72.2B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $53.4B for Capital One.
- Capital One grew revenue faster (36.6%, against 9.5%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of American Expressβs earnings: a P/E of 17.7x against 12.1x for Capital One.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 5 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
American Express
AXP
4/5
5-year growthNet marginReturn on equityShare count change
Capital One
COF
1/5
Revenue growth
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | AXP FY25 | COF FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $219.3B | $109.5B |
| Revenue | $72.2B | $53.4B |
| Free cash flow | β | β |
| Net income | $10.8B | $2.5B |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 9.5% | 36.6% |
| 5-year growth | 14.9% | 13.4% |
| Share count change | β2.4% | 41.1% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | β | β |
| Operating margin | β | β |
| Net margin | 15.0% | 4.6% |
| FCF margin | β | β |
| Return on capital | β | β |
| Return on equity | 34.0% | 2.8% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | β | β |
| Net debt / EBITDA | β | β |
| Dividends and buybacks | $8.1B | $5.6B |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 17.7x | 12.1x |
| Piotroski F-score | β | β |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.