Champlain Investment Partners LLC Lowers Holdings in 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 shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund 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 quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE during the first quarter worth approximately $346,000. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE during the first quarter worth approximately $310,000. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 6.7% during the first quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 23,175 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,218,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in AMERISAFE by 0.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 189,033 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $9,934,000 after buying an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 49.0% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 56,126 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,949,000 after acquiring an additional 18,464 shares during the period. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on AMSF. 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 research report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at AMERISAFE

In other news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the 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 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 transaction 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 corporate insiders.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF traded down $0.44 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $45.74. 12,894 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 102,830. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $42.48 and a 1-year high of $60.24. The company has a market capitalization of $868.62 million, a P/E ratio of 17.40 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50 day moving average is $44.85 and its 200-day moving average is $47.31.

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

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.