AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Monday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on AMSF. TheStreet upgraded AMERISAFE from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. JMP Securities restated a market outperform rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Monday, April 15th.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of AMSF stock opened at $47.49 on Monday. AMERISAFE has a twelve month low of $44.61 and a twelve month high of $56.84. The company has a market cap of $908.72 million, a P/E ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.20.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.03. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 19.97%. The business had revenue of $80.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in AMERISAFE by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,398,263 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $65,411,000 after purchasing an additional 37,048 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 678,321 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,732,000 after acquiring an additional 105,414 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 301,819 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,119,000 after acquiring an additional 12,433 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 70.3% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 178,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,348,000 after acquiring an additional 73,638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,654 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,281,000 after acquiring an additional 2,856 shares during the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.