Two Sigma Advisers LP Invests $283,000 in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,500 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 92.1% during the 4th 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. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth $359,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in AMERISAFE by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 102,843 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,301,000 after buying an additional 7,399 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in AMERISAFE by 52.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,610 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 6,366 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in AMERISAFE by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 661,795 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $34,109,000 after buying an additional 21,799 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Wednesday, April 30th.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of AMSF stock traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $45.35. 116,764 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 108,121. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $47.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.48. The firm has a market cap of $863.92 million, a PE ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.42. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.97 and a 1-year high of $60.24.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $83.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.66 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.49% and a return on equity of 16.50%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.90%.

About AMERISAFE

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.