Insiders are generally long-term investors due to restriction in making short-term profits. In contrast, wealth management institutions always have short-term investment. Wall St. Watchdog reveals information regarding the insiders and institutions which recently decreased stock shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP).

SEC data indicate that these institutions significantly reduced their stock shares of American Express Company in Q3 2011:

• ARTISAN PARTNERS HOLDINGS LP: On 06/30/2011, held 1,893,472 shares, worth $97,494,873. On 09/30/2011, held 0 shares.
• HERNDON CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: On 06/30/2011, held 1,567,609 shares, worth $80,716,187. On 09/30/2011, held 0 shares.
• RENAISSANCE GROUP LLC: On 06/30/2011, held 1,245,691 shares, worth $64,140,630. On 09/30/2011, held 0 shares.
• GREAT LAKES ADVISORS INC: On 06/30/2011, held 899,700 shares, worth $46,325,553. On 09/30/2011, held 0 shares.
• EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM OF TEXAS: On 06/30/2011, held 884,468 shares, worth $45,541,257. On 09/30/2011, held 0 shares.

About the company: American Express Company is a global payment and travel company. The Company’s principal products and services are charge and credit payment card products and travel-related services offered to consumers and businesses around the world.

Competitors to Watch: Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS), Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE:COF), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC), Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), SLM Corporation (NYSE:SLM), First Investors Financial Services Group (FIFS), and CompuCredit Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:CCRT).

(Note: Data regarding American Express Company’s stock holdings are sourced from whalewisdom.com. All data are assumed to be accurate.)

Advantage: Check out our interactive stock charts, fundamentals, Twitter stream, and more >>

Improve Your 2011 Financial Health: Join the winning team of stock pickers with Wall St. Cheat Sheet’s acclaimed premium newsletter>>

Get Your FREE Special Report: 4 Things You Must Know About the US Economy Now!