Champlain Investment Partners LLC Sells 16,210 Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

Key Points

• Champlain Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. by 1.9%, now holding 4.46% of the company, valued at $44.6 million.
• Several institutional investors have taken significant positions, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its stake by over 6,160%, now owning 84,080 shares.
• AMERISAFE declared a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.4%, scheduled for payment on September 26th.

Champlain Investment Partners LLC cut its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 848,987 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 16,210 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned 4.46% of AMERISAFE worth $44,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMSF. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in AMERISAFE in the first quarter worth about $8,466,000. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 29.6% in the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 395,756 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,797,000 after buying an additional 90,395 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 6,160.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 84,080 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,418,000 after buying an additional 82,737 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 13.2% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 684,558 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $35,974,000 after buying an additional 79,750 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 92.1% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 161,815 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,340,000 after buying an additional 77,582 shares during the period. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.50.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of AMSF stock traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $46.18. 53,442 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 84,751. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $44.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.35. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.48 and a 12-month high of $60.24. The stock has a market cap of $877.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49 and a beta of 0.39.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $79.70 million for 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 forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AMERISAFE

In related news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.75, for a total transaction of $60,099.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 2,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $100,821.75. This trade represents a 37.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About AMERISAFE

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.