AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Declares $0.39 Quarterly Dividend

Key Points

• AMERISAFE, Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, which will be paid on September 26 to stockholders of record on September 12, resulting in an annualized dividend of $1.56 and a yield of 3.37%.
• The company reported $0.53 earnings per share for the latest quarter, missing analyst expectations of $0.55, but generated revenue of $79.70 million, exceeding estimates of $77.30 million.
• AMERISAFE's stock increased by 6.1% in trading, reaching $46.23, alongside a market capitalization of approximately $880.68 million.

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, July 25th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of 0.39 per share by the insurance provider on Friday, September 26th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th.

AMERISAFE has a dividend payout ratio of 70.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect AMERISAFE to earn $2.18 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.56 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 71.6%.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AMSF traded down $0.49 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $45.98. 171,817 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 132,088. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.17. AMERISAFE has a 1-year low of $42.48 and a 1-year high of $60.24. The firm has a market cap of $873.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42 and a beta of 0.40.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $79.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.30 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.54% and a net margin of 16.46%. Analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMSF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their price objective on AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 83,478 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,387,000 after buying an additional 4,050 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,313 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 82.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 217,280 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $11,418,000 after purchasing an additional 98,293 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.7% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 3,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 106.8% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 29,176 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,533,000 after purchasing an additional 15,070 shares in the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.