Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,579,798 shares, a decrease of 19.9% from the March 31st total of 5,715,559 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 853,556 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.4 days. Currently, 6.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APAM traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $37.52. 1,112,815 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 739,704. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.50 and a beta of 1.69. Artisan Partners Asset Management has a 52 week low of $34.99 and a 52 week high of $48.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $37.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.03.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The asset manager reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.91 by ($0.04). Artisan Partners Asset Management had a net margin of 23.49% and a return on equity of 72.99%. The company had revenue of $303.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $304.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.83 EPS. Artisan Partners Asset Management’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Artisan Partners Asset Management will post 3.93 EPS for the current year.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Artisan Partners Asset Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 102.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Artisan Partners Asset Management

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APAM. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 9,498.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 33,306 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after purchasing an additional 32,959 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in the first quarter valued at $240,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 31.0% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 24,213 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $884,000 after buying an additional 5,730 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 21.4% during the 1st quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 91,072 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,314,000 after buying an additional 16,028 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 1st quarter valued at $229,000. Institutional investors own 86.45% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on APAM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $48.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Artisan Partners Asset Management presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $39.25.

About Artisan Partners Asset Management

Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc is a global investment management firm that specializes in active, fundamental research-driven strategies across a range of equity, fixed income and alternative asset classes. Founded in 1994 by Andrew Ziegler, the company has built a reputation for its team-based approach to portfolio construction, emphasizing deep sector expertise and independent analysis. Its product lineup includes U.S. and international equity strategies, global emerging markets, as well as credit and multisector fixed income offerings.

Artisan Partners serves a diverse client base that spans institutional investors, intermediaries and high-net-worth individuals located in North America, Europe and Asia.