Squarepoint Ops LLC Raises Stock Position in Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM)

Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM - Free Report) by 80.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,397 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 8,633 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management were worth $835,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 208.6% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 574 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 82.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 581 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 628 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 166.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Samuel Bentson Sellers sold 6,801 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.24, for a total transaction of $300,876.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 40,529 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,793,002.96. This trade represents a 14.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 12.53% of the company's stock.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Thursday, reaching $40.27. 319,190 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 495,102. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock's fifty day moving average is $38.78 and its 200 day moving average is $42.05. The firm has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 1.68. Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.75 and a 1 year high of $49.54.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The asset manager reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.07. Artisan Partners Asset Management had a net margin of 23.36% and a return on equity of 74.02%. The company had revenue of $277.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $281.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. Artisan Partners Asset Management's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.75%. Artisan Partners Asset Management's payout ratio is 75.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APAM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $46.00 to $35.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Artisan Partners Asset Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, TD Securities upped their price objective on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $37.90.

About Artisan Partners Asset Management

Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc is publicly owned investment manager. It provides its services to pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, endowments, foundations, charitable organizations, government entities, private funds and non-U.S. funds, as well as mutual funds, non-U.S. funds and collective trusts.