AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF Position Boosted by Boston Partners

Key Points

• Boston Partners increased its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. by 49.0% in the first quarter, owning 56,126 shares valued at approximately $2,949,000.
• AMERISAFE recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.39, representing an annual yield of 3.5%, with the ex-dividend date on September 12th.
• The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.53 for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, but had a revenue of $79.70 million, exceeding projections.

Boston Partners increased its holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 49.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,126 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 18,464 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned approximately 0.29% of AMERISAFE worth $2,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 301.6% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,554 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,167 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 19.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 336.1% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 144.2% in the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,696 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 2,773 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at AMERISAFE

In related news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was 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 directly owned 2,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $100,821.75. This represents a 37.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMSF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.50.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF traded up $0.69 during trading on Friday, hitting $46.91. 20,620 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 104,112. The stock has a market capitalization of $890.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77 and a beta of 0.39. The business's fifty day moving average is $44.53 and its 200-day moving average is $47.53. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a one year low of $42.48 and a one year high of $60.24.

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

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio is 59.09%.

AMERISAFE 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.