AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• AMERISAFE's stock hit a new 1-year low at $42.40, following a previous close of $43.13 and a trading volume of 39,259 shares.
• Recent analyst ratings show a consensus of "Hold" with an average target price of $57.50, although a "hold" rating has been reaffirmed by Weiss Ratings.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, yielding 3.7%, with a payout ratio currently at 59.09%.

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $42.40 and last traded at $42.40, with a volume of 39259 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMSF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AMERISAFE has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $57.50.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

The business's fifty day simple moving average is $44.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.19. The stock has a market cap of $800.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.96 and a beta of 0.32.

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

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.75, for a total transaction of $60,099.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,821.75. This represents a 37.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 170.5% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 779 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 38.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 301.6% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,554 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 87.9% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,920 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE in the second quarter worth about $113,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company's stock.

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.

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