Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Decreases Position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lowered its holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 604,808 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 54,035 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 3.17% of AMERISAFE worth $31,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Isthmus Partners LLC grew its position in AMERISAFE by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 63,926 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,295,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in AMERISAFE by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 10,842 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. grew its position in AMERISAFE by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 5,350 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in AMERISAFE by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 9,375 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in AMERISAFE by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,904 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

AMSF stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $46.39. 61,171 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 109,517. The business's 50 day moving average price is $49.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.45. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.97 and a 52-week high of $60.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $883.73 million, a PE ratio of 14.50 and a beta of 0.41.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.01. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 19.49%. The company had revenue of $83.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $76.66 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. AMERISAFE's payout ratio is 62.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

AMERISAFE Company 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.