Dean Capital Management Has $1.61 Million Holdings in Safety Insurance Group, Inc. $SAFT

Key Points

• Dean Capital Management cut its Safety Insurance Group stake by 33.2% in the first quarter, selling 11,050 shares and retaining 22,211 shares valued at approximately $1.61 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.04% of the stock.
• Safety Insurance Group agreed to be acquired by Mapfre for $105 per share in cash, giving shareholders an immediate takeover valuation near the stock’s recent trading level; shareholder law firms are reviewing whether the price is fair.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating after the company missed quarterly earnings estimates, reporting a loss of $0.72 per share versus expectations for $1.45. The company pays a $3.68 annualized dividend, yielding about 3.6%.

Dean Capital Management trimmed its position in shares of Safety Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAFT - Free Report) by 33.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,211 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 11,050 shares during the period. Dean Capital Management owned approximately 0.15% of Safety Insurance Group worth $1,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Safety Insurance Group by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 388 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of Safety Insurance Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Safety Insurance Group by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 416 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Safety Insurance Group by 419.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 488 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Safety Insurance Group by 653.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 497 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. 81.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Safety Insurance Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Safety Insurance Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Safety Insurance Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Safety Insurance Group Price Performance

SAFT stock opened at $103.20 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.75. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.40 and a beta of 0.21. Safety Insurance Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $67.04 and a 1 year high of $103.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Safety Insurance Group (NASDAQ:SAFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported ($0.72) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by ($2.17). The company had revenue of $314.67 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.01 million. Safety Insurance Group had a net margin of 4.94% and a return on equity of 6.31%. Research analysts anticipate that Safety Insurance Group, Inc. will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Safety Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Safety Insurance Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 87.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Safety Insurance Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Safety Insurance Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Safety Insurance Group agreed to be acquired by Mapfre for $105 per share in cash, creating a strong premium and immediate takeover value for shareholders. Safety Insurance Group, Inc. Enters Into Merger Agreement With Mapfre for $1.54 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: The deal price has effectively become a valuation floor for SAFT, which typically pulls a stock up close to the acquisition value while the market waits for closing. Mapfre to Acquire Safety Insurance Group in Cash Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Several shareholder law firms have announced investigations into whether the $105 cash price is fair, which could add legal noise but does not change the announced deal terms for now. Shareholder Alert: Ademi LLP investigates whether Safety Insurance Group, Inc. is obtaining a Fair Price for Public Shareholders
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest and insider-trading data do not appear to be driving the move; the stock reaction is primarily tied to the buyout announcement. Safety Insurance Group Jumps on $105-Per-Share Cash Buyout Deal

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Corp Srb sold 34,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.04, for a total transaction of $2,606,042.88. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,757,733 shares in the company, valued at $133,658,017.32. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Safety Insurance Group

Safety Insurance Group, Inc is a publicly traded property and casualty insurance holding company incorporated in Massachusetts in 1994. Its principal subsidiary, Safety Insurance Company, traces its roots back to 1923 and has since evolved into a regional personal lines insurer. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol SAFT.

Safety Insurance Group focuses primarily on private passenger automobile and homeowners insurance products, along with dwelling fire, umbrella liability, and certain commercial auto coverages.

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