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 note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on AMSF. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Monday, April 15th. TheStreet raised shares of AMERISAFE from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Monday, March 4th.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ AMSF opened at $47.43 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $907.57 million, a P/E ratio of 14.78 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.19. AMERISAFE has a 12-month low of $44.61 and a 12-month high of $56.54.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.03. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.97% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The firm had revenue of $80.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.22 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.83 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMSF. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,178 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,967 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $513,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,287 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,318,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 104,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,248,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 13,900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $695,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

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.