Royce & Associates LP Has $20.80 Million Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. by 29.6%, owning approximately 395,756 shares valued at $20.80 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• AMERISAFE's recent earnings report showed a missed EPS estimate of $0.53 compared to a consensus of $0.55, with revenues of $79.70 million exceeding expectations.
• AMERISAFE announced a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, which represents an annualized dividend yield of 3.37% and a payout ratio of 62.90%.

Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 29.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 395,756 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 90,395 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 2.08% of AMERISAFE worth $20,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,393,807 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $71,837,000 after purchasing an additional 50,441 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 536,836 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,675,000 after purchasing an additional 83,297 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 206,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $10,652,000 after acquiring an additional 7,517 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 161,815 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,340,000 after acquiring an additional 77,582 shares during the period. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 7.8% in the first quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 106,697 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,607,000 after purchasing an additional 7,686 shares during the period. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of AMSF stock traded up $2.65 on Friday, hitting $46.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 226,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,602. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $42.48 and a fifty-two week high of $60.24. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $44.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $880.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.51 and a beta of 0.40.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.36% 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. Analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on AMSF. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th.

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.