Acadian Asset Management (NYSE:AAMI) Reaches New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management hit a new 52-week high of $63.45 (last $63.2290) on heavy volume, yet the stock's average analyst rating is Hold with an average price target of $56, implying limited consensus upside.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.32, a very high ROE of 165.86% and $169.7M in revenue, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.10 (annualized $0.40, yield 0.6%, payout ratio 18.1%).
• Company insiders recently sold sizable blocks (notably directors Barbara Trebbi and Robert Chersi), reducing their stakes, while insiders still own 26% of shares and institutional ownership is reported at 98.69%.

Acadian Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:AAMI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $63.45 and last traded at $63.2290, with a volume of 323271 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AAMI shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Acadian Asset Management in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Acadian Asset Management from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Acadian Asset Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Acadian Asset Management from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore set a $60.00 price objective on Acadian Asset Management in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.00.

Acadian Asset Management Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $53.45 and a 200 day moving average of $49.86. The company has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61 and a beta of 1.26.

Acadian Asset Management (NYSE:AAMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter. Acadian Asset Management had a return on equity of 165.86% and a net margin of 14.19%.The company had revenue of $169.70 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Acadian Asset Management Inc. will post 2.78 EPS 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 $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Acadian Asset Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Acadian Asset Management's payout ratio is 18.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Barbara Trebbi sold 9,691 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 35,771 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,832,190.62. This trade represents a 21.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert J. Chersi sold 28,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.30, for a total value of $1,475,028.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 37,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,917,799.20. The trade was a 43.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 26.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Acadian Asset Management

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Acadian Asset Management by 380.2% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 802 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Acadian Asset Management in the second quarter worth $31,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Acadian Asset Management in the second quarter worth $61,000. WealthCollab LLC bought a new position in Acadian Asset Management in the second quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Acadian Asset Management in the fourth quarter worth $119,000. Institutional investors own 98.69% of the company's stock.

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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