Sei Investments Co. Increases Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

Key Points

• Sei Investments increased its AMERISAFE stake by 125% in the first quarter, owning 138,584 shares valued at approximately $4.6 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 97.41% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans cautious: AMERISAFE has a consensus “Hold” rating and a $44 price target, with recent firms lowering targets or downgrading the stock.
• AMERISAFE shares opened at $29.84, near their 12-month low, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.44—below the $0.52 estimate—while declaring a $0.41 quarterly dividend yielding about 5.5% annually.

Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 125.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 138,584 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 76,989 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.74% of AMERISAFE worth $4,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMSF. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 142.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in AMERISAFE by 159.6% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 714 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 5,714.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 814 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 346.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 943 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on AMSF. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 23rd. Citizens Jmp cut their target price on shares of AMERISAFE from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut AMERISAFE from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AMERISAFE has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.00.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 0.2%

AMSF opened at $29.84 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $553.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.39. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.94 and a 12-month high of $47.86.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $91.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.09 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 14.87%. On average, analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.13%.

AMERISAFE Profile

Amerisafe, Inc NASDAQ: AMSF is a specialty provider of workers' compensation insurance products and services in the United States. The company focuses on underwriting and managing workers' compensation policies for small to mid-sized public and private businesses, particularly in higher-hazard industries such as retail, manufacturing, distribution and wholesale. Through its network of independent agents, Amerisafe delivers tailored coverage solutions that combine robust risk management support with loss prevention programs designed to enhance workplace safety.

In addition to core insurance offerings, Amerisafe provides extensive risk control resources, including safety training, on-site consultations and claims management services.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMSF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source