Short Interest in Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) Rises By 5.1%

Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,110,000 shares, an increase of 5.1% from the March 31st total of 2,960,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 473,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.6 days.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of APAM opened at $40.84 on Thursday. Artisan Partners Asset Management has a 52-week low of $31.27 and a 52-week high of $46.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.20. The stock has a market cap of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 1.85.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The asset manager reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.03). Artisan Partners Asset Management had a return on equity of 72.77% and a net margin of 22.99%. The business had revenue of $264.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $270.90 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Artisan Partners Asset Management will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.97%. Artisan Partners Asset Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Gregory K. Ramirez sold 2,500 shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total value of $105,700.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 83,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,523,403.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 18.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Artisan Partners Asset Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 458.3% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 670 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 716.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 612 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 70.3% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 642 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on APAM shares. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $41.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 17th.

About Artisan Partners Asset Management

Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc is publicly owned investment manager. It provides its services to pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, endowments, foundations, charitable organizations, government entities, private funds and non-U.S. funds, as well as mutual funds, non-U.S. funds and collective trusts.