Short Interest in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Grows By 91.0%

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 319,800 shares, a growth of 91.0% from the February 29th total of 167,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 129,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of AMERISAFE stock opened at $50.17 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $50.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.86. AMERISAFE has a fifty-two week low of $45.34 and a fifty-two week high of $57.06. The firm has a market cap of $960.25 million, a P/E ratio of 15.53 and a beta of 0.32.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.08. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 17.19% and a net margin of 20.24%. The business had revenue of $73.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.15 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.37 dividend. This is an increase from AMERISAFE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in AMERISAFE in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new position in AMERISAFE during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, TheStreet raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th.

About AMERISAFE

AMERISAFE, Inc, an insurance holding company, underwrites workers' compensation insurance in the United States. The company provides benefits to injured employees for temporary or permanent disability, death, and medical and hospital expenses. It sells its products through retail and wholesale brokers and agents; and small and mid-sized employers engaged in hazardous industries, including construction, trucking, logging and lumber, agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications, and maritime.