AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Brokerages

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $35.67.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AMSF. Zacks Research raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of AMERISAFE from $32.00 to $27.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of AMERISAFE from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the second quarter worth $1,344,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 623,697 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $20,788,000 after purchasing an additional 39,168 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter worth $3,583,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,539,000. Finally, Palisade Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,145,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $25.25 on Monday. AMERISAFE has a 1 year low of $23.20 and a 1 year high of $42.21. The company has a market cap of $468.13 million, a PE ratio of 10.18 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $25.29 and its 200 day moving average is $29.58.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 14.00%. The company had revenue of $91.97 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.09 million. Analysts expect that AMERISAFE will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.13%.

About AMERISAFE

AMERISAFE, Inc (NASDAQ: AMSF) is a specialty workers’ compensation insurance company serving small and midsize employers in industries with elevated workplace risks. The company provides coverage designed to help businesses manage the costs associated with work-related injuries and occupational illnesses.

Its primary markets include construction, trucking, logging, agriculture, maritime operations, oil and gas, and other hazardous industries. In addition to insurance coverage, AMERISAFE emphasizes workplace safety, risk management, claims handling and return-to-work support to help policyholders reduce accidents and manage employee injuries.

Headquartered in DeRidder, Louisiana, AMERISAFE has historically focused on selected U.S.