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Side-by-side financial comparison of American Express (AXP) and Northern Trust (NTRS), based on the latest 10-Q / 10-K filings. Click either name above to swap in a different company.
American Express is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($10.9B vs $1.3B, roughly 8.4× Northern Trust). Northern Trust runs the higher net margin — 22.5% vs 35.6%, a 13.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, American Express posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (9.9% vs 7.0%). American Express produced more free cash flow last quarter ($2.3B vs $355.6M). Over the past eight quarters, American Express's revenue compounded faster (8.2% CAGR vs 7.0%).
American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Its products and services include payment and financing products; network services; accounts payable expense management products and services; and travel and lifestyle services. The company's products an...
Northern Trust Corporation is an American financial services company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, that caters to corporations, institutional investors, and ultra high net worth individuals. Northern Trust is one of the largest banking institutions in the United States and one of the oldest banks in continuous operation. As of December 31, 2025, it had $1.8 trillion in assets under management and $14.9 trillion in assets under custody.
AXP vs NTRS — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 2025 vs Q4 2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $10.9B | $1.3B |
| Net Profit | $2.5B | $466.0M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 28.2% | 48.5% |
| Net Margin | 22.5% | 35.6% |
| Revenue YoY | 9.9% | 7.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | 13.5% | 2.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $3.52 | $2.42 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align — see 8-quarter trend below.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history — bar widths are scaled to the larger of the two companies so you can eyeball the size gap and growth trajectory without doing math. Quarters aligned by calendar period (report date) so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $10.9B | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.4B | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $10.3B | $1.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $9.6B | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $10.0B | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.7B | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $9.8B | $1.2B | ||
| Q1 24 | $9.3B | $1.1B |
| Q4 25 | $2.5B | $466.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.9B | $457.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.9B | $421.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.6B | $392.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.2B | $455.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.5B | $464.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.0B | $896.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.4B | $214.7M |
| Q4 25 | 28.2% | 48.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 36.7% | 49.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 34.4% | 45.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 34.6% | 43.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 27.7% | 48.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 33.0% | 50.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 38.6% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 33.7% | 25.4% |
| Q4 25 | 22.5% | 35.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 27.9% | 36.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 28.0% | 34.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 26.8% | 32.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 21.8% | 37.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 25.8% | 38.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 30.7% | 76.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 26.1% | 18.8% |
| Q4 25 | $3.52 | $2.42 | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.14 | $2.29 | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.08 | $2.13 | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.64 | $1.90 | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.04 | $2.25 | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.49 | $2.22 | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.15 | $4.34 | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.33 | $0.96 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest filing — the kind of financial-strength check premium terminals charge for.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $742.0M | — |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $56.4B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $33.5B | $13.0B |
| Total Assets | $300.1B | $177.1B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.68× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $742.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $197.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $261.0M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $221.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.0M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $188.0M | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $69.0M | — |
| Q4 25 | $56.4B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $57.8B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $58.2B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $51.2B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $49.7B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $53.5B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $51.5B | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $48.8B | — |
| Q4 25 | $33.5B | $13.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $32.4B | $13.0B | ||
| Q2 25 | $32.3B | $12.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $31.2B | $12.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $30.3B | $12.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $29.7B | $12.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $29.5B | $12.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $28.8B | $12.1B |
| Q4 25 | $300.1B | $177.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $297.6B | $170.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $295.6B | $171.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $282.2B | $165.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $271.5B | $155.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $271.0B | $155.8B | ||
| Q2 24 | $272.2B | $156.8B | ||
| Q1 24 | $269.3B | $156.1B |
| Q4 25 | 1.68× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.78× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.80× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.64× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.64× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.80× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.74× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.70× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Net income can be massaged; cash flow is harder to fake.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $3.1B | $388.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $2.3B | $355.6M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 21.4% | 27.2% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue; lower = less reinvestment burden | 6.6% | 2.5% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit; >1× = earnings back up with cash | 1.25× | 0.83× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $16.0B | $5.5B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $3.1B | $388.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.2B | $525.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.4B | $1.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.8B | $2.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.8B | $-2.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-1.8B | $611.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.5B | $3.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.6B | $-1.5B |
| Q4 25 | $2.3B | $355.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.6B | $509.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.7B | $1.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3B | $2.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.3B | $-2.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-2.3B | $585.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0B | $3.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.2B | $-1.5B |
| Q4 25 | 21.4% | 27.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 53.6% | 40.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 36.3% | 150.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 45.0% | 225.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 53.1% | -218.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | -23.3% | 48.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 40.4% | 254.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | 55.2% | -128.3% |
| Q4 25 | 6.6% | 2.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.3% | 1.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 6.0% | 1.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.5% | 1.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.0% | 3.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.7% | 2.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.8% | 1.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.2% | 1.3% |
| Q4 25 | 1.25× | 0.83× | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.15× | 1.15× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.51× | 4.44× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.84× | 7.01× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.66× | -5.79× | ||
| Q3 24 | -0.72× | 1.31× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.50× | 3.34× | ||
| Q1 24 | 2.28× | -6.77× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Sankey diagram of revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company. Charts shown full-width and stacked so both segment hierarchies are readable side-by-side on desktop and mobile.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
AXP
| US Consumer Services Segment | $4.2B | 38% |
| Commercial Services Segment | $3.1B | 28% |
| International Card Services Segment | $2.1B | 19% |
| Global Merchant And Network Services Segment | $1.7B | 15% |
| Financial Service Other | $471.0M | 4% |
NTRS
| Investment Managementand Advisory | $694.4M | 53% |
| Custodyand Fund Administration | $527.7M | 40% |
| Other Trust Investment And Other Servicing Fees | $62.0M | 5% |
| Securities Lending | $23.3M | 2% |
| Productsand Services Other Operating Income | $10.6M | 1% |
