Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. $APAM Shares Purchased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its APAM stake by 1.9% in the first quarter, purchasing 30,863 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 1.67 million shares, or about 2.07% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 86.45% of Artisan Partners.
• Artisan Partners beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.94 in EPS and $307.91 million in revenue, with revenue up 8.9% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.80 per share, implying an annualized yield of approximately 8.1%.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: APAM has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $38, below its reported trading price of $39.29, despite one recent upgrade to “outperform.”

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,670,380 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 30,863 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.07% of Artisan Partners Asset Management worth $60,782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Triumph Capital Management lifted its stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 850 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 45.8% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 955 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.45% of the company's stock.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:APAM opened at $39.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 1.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $36.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.55. Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.96 and a 12-month high of $48.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The asset manager reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $307.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $301.32 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. Artisan Partners Asset Management's revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. will post 3.91 earnings per share 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 a boost from Artisan Partners Asset Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Artisan Partners Asset Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on APAM. Zacks Research downgraded Artisan Partners Asset Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Artisan Partners Asset Management presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $38.00.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Company Profile

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.

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