Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:APAM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 478,685 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $20,607,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.60% of Artisan Partners Asset Management as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Artisan Partners Asset Management by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 581 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 628 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management by 166.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Artisan Partners Asset Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 86.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Price Performance

Shares of APAM stock traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $36.23. 662,530 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 463,227. The company's 50 day moving average price is $39.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.56. The company has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 1.80. Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.75 and a 12 month high of $49.54.

Artisan Partners Asset Management (NYSE:APAM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.08. Artisan Partners Asset Management had a return on equity of 74.02% and a net margin of 23.36%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Artisan Partners Asset Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on APAM shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Artisan Partners Asset Management from $40.00 to $33.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $46.00 to $35.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Artisan Partners Asset Management from $53.00 to $51.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.63.

Artisan Partners Asset Management Company 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.