AQR Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

AQR Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 18.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,428 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 17,694 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.42% of AMERISAFE worth $4,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AMSF. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,393,807 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $71,837,000 after buying an additional 50,441 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 661,795 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $34,109,000 after acquiring an additional 21,799 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 536,836 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,675,000 after acquiring an additional 83,297 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in AMERISAFE in the 4th quarter valued at $15,738,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 206,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $10,652,000 after purchasing an additional 7,517 shares in the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

AMSF stock traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $46.54. 13,889 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 110,003. The firm has a market capitalization of $886.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.59 and a beta of 0.41. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.97 and a 52-week high of $60.24. The business has a 50 day moving average of $49.58 and a 200-day moving average of $51.85.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $83.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.66 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 19.49%. Research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.90%.

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.