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

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are currently 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 given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Zacks Research lowered AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 5.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,478 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,387,000 after purchasing an additional 4,050 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in AMERISAFE by 4.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,313 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $594,000 after buying an additional 471 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in AMERISAFE by 82.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 217,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,418,000 after buying an additional 98,293 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 8.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 43,118 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,266,000 after buying an additional 3,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 106.8% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,176 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,533,000 after buying an additional 15,070 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ AMSF opened at $26.25 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $486.68 million, a P/E ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.24. AMERISAFE has a 52-week low of $25.65 and a 52-week high of $47.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.13.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). AMERISAFE had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The business had revenue of $91.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $85.09 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that AMERISAFE will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is presently 66.13%.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

Amerisafe, Inc (NASDAQ: AMSF) is a specialty provider of workers’ compensation insurance products and services in the United States. The company focuses on underwriting and managing workers’ compensation policies for small to mid-sized public and private businesses, particularly in higher-hazard industries such as retail, manufacturing, distribution and wholesale. Through its network of independent agents, Amerisafe delivers tailored coverage solutions that combine robust risk management support with loss prevention programs designed to enhance workplace safety.

In addition to core insurance offerings, Amerisafe provides extensive risk control resources, including safety training, on-site consultations and claims management services.