Should You Buy Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc (APAM) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Hold
Latest Price
44.230
1 Day change
0.96%
52 Week Range
48.500
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
APAM is not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor who wants to deploy capital immediately. The setup is neutral-to-choppy (no proprietary buy signals, mixed options sentiment, and weakening earnings power in the latest quarter). I would hold off buying at the current ~43.81 level and only reconsider if it decisively breaks and holds above ~44.51–45.10 (resistance zone) or after the 2026-02-03 earnings event clarifies the trend.
Technical Analysis
Trend is neutral with a slight bullish bias but lacking momentum. MACD histogram is above zero (0.0174), which is constructive, but it is positively contracting—suggesting fading upside momentum rather than a strong uptrend. RSI(6) at 54.94 is neutral (no oversold edge for an impatient long-term entry). Moving averages are converging, typically signaling consolidation rather than a clean trend. Key levels: Pivot 43.551 (current price is just above, so near decision point). Resistance: R1 44.506 then R2 45.096—price needs a breakout/hold above this zone to look like a higher-probability long-term entry. Support: S1 42.596 then S2 42.006—loss of 43.55 pivot increases risk of revisiting 42–42.6.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Open interest put/call at 0.45 is bullish positioning overall (more calls than puts outstanding), but today’s put/call volume at 1.15 leans bearish/defensive in near-term trading. Implied volatility is elevated (30D IV 34.05) with a high IV percentile (82.73), implying the options market is pricing in above-normal uncertainty; this is not a clean ‘calm-uptrend’ backdrop. Volume is also spiking versus the 30-day average (today vs avg ~17.95x), suggesting heightened short-term positioning rather than steady long-term accumulation.
Technical Summary
Sell
1
Buy
9
Positive Catalysts
1) Technical: A breakout and hold above 44.51–45.10 could convert the current consolidation into a more convincing uptrend. 2) Options positioning: Low open-interest put/call ratio (0.45) indicates the broader positioning is more call-heavy than put-heavy. 3) Event catalyst: Next earnings (QDEC 2025) on 2026-02-03 after hours could reset expectations if results/guide are strong.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
1) No Intellectia signals: AI Stock Picker shows no buy signal; SwingMax shows no recent entry—this removes two high-priority reasons to buy immediately. 2) Pattern-based forward drift is negative: similar candlestick-pattern analysis implies a slightly negative bias into the next month (-1.39%). 3) Options near-term sentiment is cautious: put/call volume ratio 1.15 suggests traders leaned toward puts today. 4) Earnings quality trend: profitability metrics weakened YoY in the latest quarter (net income and EPS down), which can cap long-term multiple expansion without renewed growth.
Financial Performance
Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue increased to 321,947,000 (+2.16% YoY), but profitability weakened: net income fell to 61,248,000 (-8.33% YoY) and EPS dropped to 0.93 (-9.71% YoY). This is a mixed growth picture (top-line up, earnings down), which is not ideal for an immediate long-term buy when the technical trend is also not clearly bullish.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
The analyst data provided is mixed and partially inconsistent: the only APAM-specific note is TD Cowen reiterating Hold with a $10 price target (dated 2025-12-09) after AUM data, expecting near-term pressure; the other analyst entries reference Aperam (not APAM), so they do not support an APAM bull case. Net takeaway from usable coverage here: Wall Street tone in this dataset leans cautious/neutral on APAM near-term (Hold), with the cited concern being AUM lag/attrition. Pros view: stability and potential upside if AUM flows improve. Cons view: near-term flow/earnings pressure and limited evidence (in the provided data) of a fresh catalyst to re-rate the stock upward right now.
Wall Street analysts forecast APAM stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for APAM is 45.75 USD with a low forecast of 42 USD and a high forecast of 51 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
4 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast APAM stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for APAM is 45.75 USD with a low forecast of 42 USD and a high forecast of 51 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Buy
2 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 43.810
Low
42
Averages
45.75
High
51
Current: 43.810
Low
42
Averages
45.75
High
51
Morgan Stanley
Adahna Ekoku
Equal Weight -> Overweight
upgrade
AI Analysis
2025-12-15
Reason
Morgan Stanley
Adahna Ekoku
Price Target
AI Analysis
2025-12-15
upgrade
Equal Weight -> Overweight
Reason
Morgan Stanley analyst Adahna Ekoku upgraded Aperam to Overweight from Equal Weight with a price target of EUR 40, up from EUR 31.50. As policy measures offer a floor, sentiment is turning more constructive on European stainless, the analyst tells investors.
TD Cowen
Hold
maintain
$10
2025-12-09
Reason
TD Cowen
Price Target
$10
2025-12-09
maintain
Hold
Reason
TD Cowen keeps a Hold rating and $10 price target on Artisan Partners after the company reported November assets under management data. The results "modestly" lagged the firm's model and also featured a 2.7B growth equities attrition into early December, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm expects the stock to trade lower on Wednesday.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for APAM
