American Express tops Street 3Q forecasts

NEW YORK (AP) - American Express Co. (AXP) on Wednesday reported third-quarter earnings of $1.36 billion.

On a per-share basis, the New York-based company said it had profit of $1.50.

The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.47 per share.

The credit card issuer and global payments company posted revenue of $8.44 billion in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $8.32 billion.

American Express expects full-year earnings to be $5.80 to $5.90 per share.

American Express shares have climbed 24 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has increased 14 percent. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $92.08, a rise of 53 percent in the last 12 months.