Employers (NYSE:EIG) Upgraded to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Employers has been upgraded from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, signaling a more positive outlook for the stock.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss with $0.48 EPS, falling short of the $0.94 consensus estimate, although revenue increased by 13.5% year-over-year.
• Institutional ownership in Employers has risen significantly, with 80.49% of the stock now held by institutional investors, indicating strong interest from larger financial players.

Employers (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Employers Stock Down 1.2%

EIG opened at $41.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.79. Employers has a 52 week low of $38.19 and a 52 week high of $54.44. The company has a market capitalization of $972.61 million, a PE ratio of 10.09 and a beta of 0.52.

Employers (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.46). Employers had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 7.56%. The company had revenue of $246.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $217.17 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Employers will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Employers

In other Employers news, EVP John M. Mutschink sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.12, for a total transaction of $98,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at $972,035.68. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Employers in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Employers in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Employers in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Employers by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,147 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Employers by 179.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 1,462 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.49% of the company's stock.

Employers Company Profile

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.

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