AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Stock Rating Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Monday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on AMSF. Truist Financial cut their price target on AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.33.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 2.3%

AMSF stock opened at $24.96 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $462.76 million, a PE ratio of 10.06 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.81. AMERISAFE has a fifty-two week low of $23.20 and a fifty-two week high of $42.22.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.08). AMERISAFE had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The firm had revenue of $91.97 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.09 million. Equities analysts forecast that AMERISAFE will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is currently 66.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in AMERISAFE during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 5,714.3% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 814 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the second quarter valued at $50,000. 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 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.