Analysts Set Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) PT at $39.25

Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $38.00.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on APAM. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective 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 reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Price Performance

NYSE:APAM opened at $39.29 on Friday. Artisan Partners Asset Management has a 52-week low of $33.96 and a 52-week high of $48.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.99 and a 200 day moving average of $38.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 1.68.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The asset manager reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.03. Artisan Partners Asset Management had a return on equity of 73.11% and a net margin of 24.08%.The business had revenue of $307.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $301.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Artisan Partners Asset Management will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is an increase from Artisan Partners Asset Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.1%. Artisan Partners Asset Management’s dividend payout ratio is 77.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 279,067 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $11,369,000 after purchasing an additional 49,635 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in the 1st quarter worth about $1,135,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,653,000. Vestcor Inc increased its position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 154.5% during the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 45,733 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,863,000 after purchasing an additional 27,762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,490,000. 86.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.