Teacher Retirement System of Texas Decreases Stock Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas trimmed its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 24.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,413 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 31,036 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.50% of AMERISAFE worth $5,014,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 19.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $180,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 336.1% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 3,025 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth approximately $207,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.16. 116,759 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 108,603. The business's fifty day moving average is $45.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.71. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a one year low of $42.48 and a one year high of $60.24. The stock has a market cap of $841.25 million, a PE ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 0.40.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.01. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The firm had revenue of $83.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.66 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio is 62.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report 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.