Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) Short Interest Update

Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,840,000 shares, a drop of 6.9% from the August 15th total of 3,050,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 470,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.0 days.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Stock Up 1.6 %

Artisan Partners Asset Management stock opened at $42.16 on Wednesday. Artisan Partners Asset Management has a 12 month low of $32.12 and a 12 month high of $46.75. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 1.79.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.05). Artisan Partners Asset Management had a net margin of 22.75% and a return on equity of 71.76%. The company had revenue of $270.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. Artisan Partners Asset Management’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Artisan Partners Asset Management will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is an increase from Artisan Partners Asset Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Artisan Partners Asset Management’s payout ratio is 86.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upped their price target on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com cut Artisan Partners Asset Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in a research report on Monday, July 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Artisan Partners Asset Management

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Artisan Partners Asset Management in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 70.3% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 642 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in Artisan Partners Asset Management in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Artisan Partners Asset Management in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 86.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.