AQR Capital Management LLC Lowers Position in Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG)

AQR Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG - Free Report) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 220,860 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 27,883 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.89% of Employers worth $11,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Employers by 312.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 482 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Employers during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Employers by 50.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 596 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Employers by 61.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,845 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Employers by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,680 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.49% of the company's stock.

Employers Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE EIG traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $49.56. 182,093 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 137,455. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 0.56. Employers Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.57 and a twelve month high of $54.44. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $49.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.05.

Employers (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.18. Employers had a return on equity of 8.99% and a net margin of 13.47%. The company had revenue of $202.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Employers Holdings, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

Employers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This is an increase from Employers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Employers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Employers news, insider Ann Marie Smith sold 1,385 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.24, for a total transaction of $70,967.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $450,963.24. This represents a 13.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James R. Kroner sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.50, for a total value of $51,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,087. The trade was a 4.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,385 shares of company stock worth $276,267 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Employers

Employers Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Employers and Cerity. It offers workers' compensation insurance to small businesses in low to medium hazard industries under the Employers and Cerity brands.