AXP vs COF: American Express and Capital One Financial compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- American Express is the larger company, worth $212.9B, about 1.7 times Capital One Financial.
- Capital One Financial grew revenue faster over the last year (+49.8% vs +10.0%).
- On earnings, American Express is the cheaper stock (19.5x vs 63.0x).
- American Express's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about -0% a year, against -14% for Capital One Financial (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | AXP | COF |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $212.9B | $127.8B |
| Share price | $308.17 | $199.26 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $72.2B | $8.1B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $16.0B | $26.1B |
| Revenue growth, last year | +10.0% | +49.8% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +14.3% | +14.0% |
| Operating margin | — | — |
| Net margin | 15.1% | 106.2% |
| Return on equity | 33.4% | 9.2% |
| P/E (trailing) | 19.5x | 63.0x |
| Price / free cash flow | 13.3x | 4.90x |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.2x | 5.62x |
| FCF growth the price implies | -0.36% | -14.3% |
| Dividend yield | 1.1% | 1.4% |
| Debt / equity | 7.99x | 4.92x |
| Fundamental grade | C | B |
| Superinvestors holding it | 18 | 23 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 10 | 10 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
American Express
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $42.4B | $13.1B | — |
| 2022 | $52.9B | $19.2B | — |
| 2023 | $60.5B | $17.0B | — |
| 2024 | $65.9B | $12.1B | — |
| 2025 | $72.2B | $16.0B | — |
Capital One Financial
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $4.8B | $11.6B | — |
| 2022 | $5.4B | $12.9B | — |
| 2023 | $5.6B | $19.6B | — |
| 2024 | $5.9B | $17.0B | — |
| 2025 | $8.1B | $26.1B | — |
Where the revenue comes from
American Express · by segments, 2025
USCS$34.8B48%
CS$16.9B23%
ICS$13.0B18%
GMNS$7.8B11%
Capital One Financial · by segments, 2025
Credit Card$39.6B74%
Consumer Banking$10.4B19%
Commercial Banking$3.7B7%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open AXP in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, American Express or Capital One Financial?
American Express (AXP), at $212.9B against $127.8B.
Is AXP or COF cheaper?
By trailing P/E, American Express (19.5x) is cheaper than Capital One Financial (63.0x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, AXP or COF?
Capital One Financial: revenue grew +49.8% over the last year, against +10.0%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.