AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $44.00.

AMSF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Truist Financial reduced their target price on AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $24.71 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $458.12 million, a P/E ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.23. AMERISAFE has a 12-month low of $24.11 and a 12-month high of $45.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.98.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $85.09 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AMERISAFE will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is 66.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMSF. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 142.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 10,693 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 5,714.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 814 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

AMERISAFE, Inc (NASDAQ: AMSF) is a specialty workers’ compensation insurance company headquartered in DeRidder, Louisiana. Through its insurance subsidiaries, the company provides workers’ compensation coverage to small and mid-sized employers whose operations involve relatively high workplace risks.

The company focuses on industries such as construction, trucking, logging, agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas, and other hazardous occupations. Its services include workers’ compensation underwriting, claims administration, workplace safety and loss-control services, and premium auditing.

AMERISAFE primarily serves employers across the southeastern and other selected regions of the United States.