GAMMA Investing LLC Raises Position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 6,160.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 84,080 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 82,737 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.44% of AMERISAFE worth $4,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 13,793 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,130 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 5,350 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 92,636 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,774,000 after buying an additional 2,619 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 94,556 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,873,000 after buying an additional 2,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,904 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

AMSF traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $45.22. The company had a trading volume of 14,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 107,827. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.41. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $60.24. The stock has a market cap of $861.44 million, a PE ratio of 14.13 and a beta of 0.42.

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

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.