Ameriprise Financial Inc. Purchases 7,399 Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,843 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 7,399 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.54% of AMERISAFE worth $5,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AMSF. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter valued at $99,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter valued at about $180,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 336.1% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Wednesday, April 30th.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

AMSF stock traded up $0.59 on Tuesday, reaching $46.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 76,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 109,384. The firm has a market cap of $894.97 million, a PE ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.32. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $60.24.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $83.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $76.66 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.49% and a return on equity of 16.50%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. AMERISAFE's payout ratio is 62.90%.

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.