AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Stock Has Average Price Target of $44.00 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on AMERISAFE, with one sell, two hold and two buy recommendations. The average 12-month price target is $44.00, well above the stock’s reported $24.41 opening price.
• AMERISAFE’s latest quarterly results were mixed: earnings per share came in at $0.44, below the $0.52 consensus estimate, while revenue of $91.97 million exceeded expectations of $85.09 million.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.64 and a reported 6.7% yield. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the stock.

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.00.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AMSF. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AMERISAFE from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded AMERISAFE from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AMSF. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 3,741.0% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 16,397,229 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $62,982,000 after purchasing an additional 15,970,329 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in AMERISAFE in the second quarter valued at approximately $122,167,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 6.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 623,697 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $20,788,000 after purchasing an additional 39,168 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 19.3% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 261,375 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $8,712,000 after purchasing an additional 42,375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 125.0% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 138,584 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,619,000 after purchasing an additional 76,989 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

AMERISAFE stock opened at $24.41 on Monday. AMERISAFE has a 1-year low of $23.20 and a 1-year high of $42.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $452.56 million, a PE ratio of 9.84 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $25.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.87.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $91.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $85.09 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 14.00%. Research analysts forecast that AMERISAFE will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.13%.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

AMERISAFE, Inc NASDAQ: AMSF is a specialty workers' compensation insurance company serving small and midsize employers in industries with elevated workplace risks. The company provides coverage designed to help businesses manage the costs associated with work-related injuries and occupational illnesses.

Its primary markets include construction, trucking, logging, agriculture, maritime operations, oil and gas, and other hazardous industries. In addition to insurance coverage, AMERISAFE emphasizes workplace safety, risk management, claims handling and return-to-work support to help policyholders reduce accidents and manage employee injuries.

Headquartered in DeRidder, Louisiana, AMERISAFE has historically focused on selected U.S.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.