AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Hits New 1-Year Low at $44.61

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) shares reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $44.61 and last traded at $45.29, with a volume of 12027 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $44.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMSF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. TheStreet upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Monday, April 15th.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $866.47 million, a PE ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.46.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $75.22 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AMSF. 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. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 28.4% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Strs Ohio boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 13,900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Advisor Partners II LLC bought a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $270,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in 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 period. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.