Acadian Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:AAMI) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest fell 21.9% in April to 633,934 shares (about 2.4% of shares sold short), leaving a short‑interest ratio of 1.7 days based on average daily volume.
• Two directors executed sizable insider sales in February—Robert J. Chersi sold 28,753 shares at $51.30 and Barbara Trebbi sold 9,691 shares at $51.22—reducing their holdings by roughly 43.5% and 21.3%; insiders own 26% of the stock.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.10 (annualized $0.40) and trades near $65.89 with a $2.35B market cap, while analysts' consensus is a Hold with a $60 price target.

Acadian Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:AAMI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 633,934 shares, a drop of 21.9% from the March 31st total of 811,925 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 379,911 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Insider Transactions at Acadian Asset Management

In other Acadian Asset Management news, Director Robert J. Chersi sold 28,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.30, for a total transaction of $1,475,028.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 37,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,917,799.20. This represents a 43.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barbara Trebbi sold 9,691 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.22, for a total value of $496,373.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,771 shares in the company, valued at $1,832,190.62. The trade was a 21.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 26.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acadian Asset Management

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AAMI. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Acadian Asset Management during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Acadian Asset Management by 380.2% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 802 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Acadian Asset Management in the 2nd quarter worth $61,000. WealthCollab LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Acadian Asset Management during the second quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Acadian Asset Management during the second quarter worth $97,000. 98.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Acadian Asset Management Stock Down 3.4%

AAMI stock opened at $65.89 on Wednesday. Acadian Asset Management has a twelve month low of $26.31 and a twelve month high of $69.87. The company has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.81 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a fifty day moving average of $56.82 and a 200-day moving average of $51.46.

Acadian Asset Management (NYSE:AAMI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $169.70 million for the quarter. Acadian Asset Management had a return on equity of 165.86% and a net margin of 14.19%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Acadian Asset Management will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Acadian Asset Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Acadian Asset Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Acadian Asset Management's payout ratio is presently 18.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AAMI shares. Evercore set a $60.00 price target on shares of Acadian Asset Management in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Acadian Asset Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Acadian Asset Management from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Acadian Asset Management in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Acadian Asset Management presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $60.00.

About Acadian Asset Management

Acadian Asset Management is a global investment management firm specializing in quantitative research and systematic strategies. Since its founding in 1986, the firm has developed data-driven models designed to identify and capture investment opportunities across equity and fixed income markets. By integrating advanced analytics, proprietary risk management tools and a disciplined investment process, Acadian seeks to deliver consistent performance for institutional clients.

The firm's core offerings include institutional equity portfolios, fixed income strategies and multi-asset solutions.

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