AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Shares Down 7.6%

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) traded down 7.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $46.76 and last traded at $47.04. 19,599 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 129,783 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $872.02 million, a P/E ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $50.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.52.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.08. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 19.97%. The business had revenue of $73.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.15 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 2.7% in the 4th 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 period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 678,321 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,732,000 after buying an additional 105,414 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its holdings 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 valued at $14,119,000 after acquiring an additional 12,433 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 70.3% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 178,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,348,000 after purchasing an additional 73,638 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,654 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,281,000 after purchasing an additional 2,856 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

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.