Short Interest in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Grows By 29.5%

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 332,239 shares, an increase of 29.5% from the February 26th total of 256,457 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 199,002 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on AMSF shares. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $55.00 price objective on AMERISAFE in a report on Friday, January 16th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on AMERISAFE from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on AMERISAFE from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AMERISAFE

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 142.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 159.6% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 346.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in AMERISAFE in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

AMERISAFE stock opened at $32.73 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $615.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.37. AMERISAFE has a 52-week low of $32.00 and a 52-week high of $53.27.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.06). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 14.86%.The business had revenue of $81.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.05 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.40%.

About AMERISAFE

Amerisafe, Inc (NASDAQ: AMSF) is a specialty provider of workers’ compensation insurance products and services in the United States. The company focuses on underwriting and managing workers’ compensation policies for small to mid-sized public and private businesses, particularly in higher-hazard industries such as retail, manufacturing, distribution and wholesale. Through its network of independent agents, Amerisafe delivers tailored coverage solutions that combine robust risk management support with loss prevention programs designed to enhance workplace safety.

In addition to core insurance offerings, Amerisafe provides extensive risk control resources, including safety training, on-site consultations and claims management services.