Earnest Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in ANSYS, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANSS)

Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in ANSYS, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANSS - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 654,671 shares of the software maker's stock after buying an additional 14,277 shares during the period. ANSYS accounts for about 1.0% of Earnest Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Earnest Partners LLC owned approximately 0.75% of ANSYS worth $220,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of ANSYS by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,643,766 shares of the software maker's stock worth $3,590,462,000 after purchasing an additional 78,730 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ANSYS by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,363,744 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $796,033,000 after acquiring an additional 58,190 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd grew its holdings in shares of ANSYS by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,086,177 shares of the software maker's stock worth $703,730,000 after purchasing an additional 511,557 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new position in ANSYS in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $695,129,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in ANSYS during the 4th quarter worth $615,566,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.39% of the company's stock.

ANSYS Stock Performance

Shares of ANSYS stock traded down $2.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $319.73. 875,008 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 486,425. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $315.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $331.68. The company has a market capitalization of $28.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.20. ANSYS, Inc. has a 12 month low of $275.06 and a 12 month high of $363.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 3.01 and a current ratio of 3.01.

ANSYS (NASDAQ:ANSS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The software maker reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($0.11). ANSYS had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 22.62%. The firm had revenue of $504.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $516.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that ANSYS, Inc. will post 8.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of ANSYS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of ANSYS from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at ANSYS

In related news, Director Glenda Dorchak sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.01, for a total value of $60,002.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $969,032.30. This trade represents a 5.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

ANSYS Profile

ANSYS, Inc develops and markets engineering simulation software and services for engineers, designers, researchers, and students in the United States, Japan, Germany, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It offers structural analysis product suite that provides simulation tools for product design and optimization; the Ansys Mechanical product, an element analysis software; LS-DYNA solver for multiphysics simulation; and power analysis and optimization software suite.