What happened Shares of American Express (NYSE: AXP) traded nearly 10% higher as of 11:25 a.m. ET today after the company reported earnings results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2021. So what American Express reported diluted earnings per share of $2.18 on revenue of roughly $12.1 billion in Q4, easily beating analyst estimates. For the full year, American Express reported $10.02 EPS on total revenue of $42.4 billion, also beating estimates. In the quarter, the company saw a nice uptick in loan balances, with period-end balances up more than 15%. Billed business in Q4 is up 33% from the fourth quarter of 2020 and up 12% from the fourth quarter of 2019. Spending related to travel and entertainment continued to recover, in Q4 2021 reaching 82% of levels seen prior to the pandemic in Q4 2019. Image source: Getty Images. Expenses of nearly $9.8 billion in Q4 came in at about $500 million over what analysts were expecting. American Express also released $168 million of reserve capital previously being held for loan losses, which helped boost earnings a bit. "Our investment strategy enabled us to reach record levels of Card Member spending, maintain customer retention and satisfaction above pre-pandemic levels, increase new Card acquisitions, grow our loan balances, and deepen our digital engagement with customers," American Express CEO Stephen J. Squeri said in a statement. Now what Management is guiding for 18% to 20% of revenue growth this year and expects to generate between $9.25 and $9.65 of earnings for 2022. I like American Express' outlook, as loan growth recovers, travel and entertainment spend improves, and higher interest rates look likely to boost revenue. The company appears to be well positioned. 10 stocks we like better than American ExpressWhen our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and American Express wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of January 10, 2022 American Express is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Bram Berkowitz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source