Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) Shares Sold by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM - Free Report) by 82.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,636 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 135,403 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management were worth $1,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 208.6% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 574 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 628 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management in the first quarter worth about $63,000. NBC Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 118,700.0% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 2,376 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 2,374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,650 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Artisan Partners Asset Management

In related news, EVP Samuel Bentson Sellers sold 6,801 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.24, for a total value of $300,876.24. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 40,529 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,793,002.96. This represents a 14.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Charles J. Daley, Jr. sold 15,448 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.45, for a total value of $624,871.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 91,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,695,633.35. This trade represents a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.53% of the company's stock.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Trading Up 0.9%

APAM traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $46.82. 648,495 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 505,270. The firm's fifty day moving average is $43.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.57. Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.75 and a 1-year high of $49.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 1.70.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The asset manager reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.07. Artisan Partners Asset Management had a return on equity of 73.48% and a net margin of 23.24%. The company had revenue of $277.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $281.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.76 EPS. Artisan Partners Asset Management's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.81%. Artisan Partners Asset Management's payout ratio is currently 75.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on APAM shares. Wall Street Zen raised Artisan Partners Asset Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. TD Securities boosted their price target on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. TD Cowen lowered 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. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $39.10.

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.