AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on AMERISAFE, with two sell, one hold, and two buy ratings. The average 12-month price target is $44.00, although several analysts recently downgraded the stock.
• AMERISAFE shares opened at $24.71, near their one-year low of $24.11, with a market capitalization of approximately $458 million. The company’s latest quarterly EPS of $0.44 missed estimates, while revenue of $91.97 million exceeded expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, equal to a 6.6% annualized yield. Institutional investors own approximately 97.41% of the outstanding shares.

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.00.

A number of analysts have weighed in on AMSF shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AMERISAFE from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AMERISAFE from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered AMERISAFE from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 0.4%

AMSF opened at $24.71 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $458.12 million, a P/E ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.23. The company's 50 day moving average is $28.55 and its 200-day moving average is $30.98. AMERISAFE has a 1-year low of $24.11 and a 1-year high of $45.00.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $91.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $85.09 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 14.00%. On average, equities analysts forecast that AMERISAFE will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.13%.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AMERISAFE by 142.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in AMERISAFE during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 159.6% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 714 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 5,714.3% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 814 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AMERISAFE

AMERISAFE, Inc NASDAQ: AMSF is a specialty workers' compensation insurance company headquartered in DeRidder, Louisiana. Through its insurance subsidiaries, the company provides workers' compensation coverage to small and mid-sized employers whose operations involve relatively high workplace risks.

The company focuses on industries such as construction, trucking, logging, agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas, and other hazardous occupations. Its services include workers' compensation underwriting, claims administration, workplace safety and loss-control services, and premium auditing.

AMERISAFE primarily serves employers across the southeastern and other selected regions of the United States.

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