Ieq Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 6,585 AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC made a new investment of approximately $346,000 in AMERISAFE, purchasing 6,585 shares in the first quarter.
• AMERISAFE reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.53 for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55, while revenue was $79.70 million, surpassing expectations.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 3.4%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 12th.

Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,585 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $346,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 3.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,443,585 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $75,860,000 after purchasing an additional 49,778 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 9.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 723,562 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $38,023,000 after purchasing an additional 61,767 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 purchasing an additional 79,750 shares during the period. 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 purchasing an additional 90,395 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 206,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $10,652,000 after purchasing an additional 7,517 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company's stock.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMSF traded up $0.27 on Thursday, reaching $45.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 139,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 66,232. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.48 and a twelve month high of $60.24. The stock has a market cap of $861.96 million, a PE ratio of 17.19 and a beta of 0.38. The firm's 50 day moving average is $45.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.13.

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

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AMERISAFE news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 2,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $100,821.75. This represents a 37.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reduced 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of 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 given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.50.

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.