Neuberger Berman Group LLC Has $93.90 Million Stock Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

Key Points

• Neuberger Berman Group LLC reduced its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. by 0.5%, now owning approximately 9.38% of the company, valued at $93.9 million.
• AMERISAFE announced a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, which will be paid on September 26th, indicating a dividend yield of 3.4% and a payout ratio of 59.09%.
• Despite missing earnings expectations by $0.02 in its last quarterly report, AMERISAFE's revenue exceeded analysts' predictions, totaling $79.7 million.

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 0.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,786,788 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 8,970 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned approximately 9.38% of AMERISAFE worth $93,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in AMERISAFE by 301.6% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,554 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in AMERISAFE by 19.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its position in AMERISAFE by 336.1% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd boosted its position in AMERISAFE by 144.2% during the 1st quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,696 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 2,773 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AMSF shares. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of AMSF traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $45.16. The stock had a trading volume of 54,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 105,480. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.48 and a 52 week high of $60.24. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $44.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.62. The company has a market capitalization of $857.59 million, a P/E ratio of 17.11 and a beta of 0.39.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.02). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.54% and a net margin of 16.46%. The firm had revenue of $79.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.30 million. On average, equities analysts forecast 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, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. AMERISAFE's payout ratio is currently 59.09%.

Insider Activity at AMERISAFE

In other news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.75, for a total transaction of $60,099.25. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $100,821.75. The trade was a 37.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.61% of the company's stock.

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.