12,300 Shares in AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF Acquired by Strs Ohio

Key Points

• Strs Ohio acquired 12,300 shares of AMERISAFE, valued at approximately $646,000, representing about 0.06% ownership of the company.
• The CFO, Anastasios Omiridis, sold 1,343 shares for over $60,000, reducing his ownership stake by 37.35%.
• Analysts have set an average price target of $57.50 for AMERISAFE, with recent ratings reflecting a shift from "sell" to "hold."

Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 12,300 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $646,000. Strs Ohio owned approximately 0.06% of AMERISAFE at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 301.6% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,554 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 19.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd raised its position in AMERISAFE by 144.2% during the 1st quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,696 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 2,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth about $283,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AMERISAFE

In other news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.75, for a total value of $60,099.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,821.75. This represents a 37.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.61% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AMSF shares. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AMERISAFE currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.50.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMSF opened at $43.89 on Friday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a one year low of $42.48 and a one year high of $60.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $45.23 and a 200 day moving average of $46.80. The firm has a market cap of $833.47 million, a PE ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 0.38.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $79.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $77.30 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 16.54%. On average, equities analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. AMERISAFE's payout ratio is presently 59.09%.

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.

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