Northern Trust Corp Increases Stock Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 206,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,517 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.08% of AMERISAFE worth $10,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter valued at $359,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 1,328.5% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,914 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 5,500 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 661,795 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $34,109,000 after purchasing an additional 21,799 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the 4th quarter worth about $9,708,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 536,836 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,675,000 after purchasing an additional 83,297 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

Shares of AMSF traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $46.39. The company had a trading volume of 61,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 109,716. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $49.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $883.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.50 and a beta of 0.41. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.97 and a 52-week high of $60.24.

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

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. 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.