Wednesday's Financial Winners & Losers

Evercore Partners(EVR) slumped after the New York investment firm posted a modest gain in third-quarter net income. The firm earned $2.1 million, or 43 cents share, compared with $2 million, or 42 cents per share, a year ago. On a pro forma basis, Evercore, which went public this summer, earned $8.4 million, or 28 cents a share. Revenue fell 6% from a year ago to $43.4 million. The Thomson Financial consensus estimate called for earnings of 18 cents a share on $31.8 million in revenue. Shares fell $1.26, or 3.8%, to $32.20.

American Express(AXP) gained after the New York-based charge card giant said investors should expect to get more bang for their buck next year. The company said it increased the target range for the firm's return on equity to between 33% and 36%. The prior target had been between 28% and 30%. Return on equity is one way of measuring how effectively a company is putting its shareholders' money to work. Shares rose 62 cents, or 1%, to $59.07.

Gamco Investors(GBL) advanced after the brokerage approved a plan to buy back an additional 400,000 shares. So far this year, Gamco has repurchased 1.3 million shares at an average price of $40.89. In all, the company says there are about 1 million shares available for repurchase. Shares traded up $1, or 2.6%, to $39.99.