Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its position in Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM - Free Report) by 66.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,121 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 24,218 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management were worth $522,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APAM. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 0.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 430,422 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $18,646,000 after buying an additional 2,455 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management during the fourth quarter worth $233,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 32.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,934 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the period. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 71,712 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $3,087,000 after purchasing an additional 2,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Institutional investors own 86.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Artisan Partners Asset Management

In other Artisan Partners Asset Management news, EVP Samuel Bentson Sellers sold 6,801 shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,793,002.96. The trade was a 14.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 12.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:APAM traded up $0.86 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $41.29. The stock had a trading volume of 942,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 490,225. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $38.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. has a one year low of $32.75 and a one year high of $49.54. The company has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 1.68.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The asset manager reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $281.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. Artisan Partners Asset Management's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Artisan Partners Asset Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on APAM shares. Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. TD Securities increased their target price on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.90.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Profile

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.