PREVIEW: American Express revenue seen climbing 8.5%

** American Express Co AXP shares down 2.9% to $320.94 ahead of Q3 results due before the opening bell on Friday

** The global payments company is expected to report adj EPS of $4.00 on an 8.5% revenue increase to $18.05 bln, per LSEG data, vs yr-ago EPS of $3.49 and $16.64 bln in revenue

** AXP has met or beaten EPS estimates in seven of past eight quarters, including six straight; on revenue side, AXP has met or beat expectations in five of past eight qtrs

** Of the 32 analysts that cover AXP, the breakdown of recommendations is 11 "strong buy" or "buy," 18 "hold" and 3 "sell" or "strong sell" ratings

** Median price target of $342 is up from $320 a month ago; RBC on Monday lifted its price target to $380 from $360

** With the moves on Thursday, AXP shares up ~8% YTD vs ~8% rise in Dow Industrials DJI and ~7% advance in S&P 500 financial sector SPF