AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) to Issue $0.37 Quarterly Dividend

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of 0.37 per share by the insurance provider on Friday, June 21st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th.

AMERISAFE has raised its dividend payment by an average of 8.0% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 11 consecutive years. AMERISAFE has a dividend payout ratio of 59.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect AMERISAFE to earn $2.23 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.48 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 66.4%.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

Shares of AMERISAFE stock traded up $0.72 on Friday, reaching $46.54. 32,834 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 131,845. The company’s 50-day moving average is $50.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.57. The firm has a market cap of $890.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 0.32. AMERISAFE has a 1-year low of $44.88 and a 1-year high of $57.06.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Monday, April 15th. TheStreet raised AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

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.