Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Reduces Stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

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

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AMSF. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $99,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $180,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 336.1% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $205,000. 97.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

AMERISAFE Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of AMSF stock opened at $48.22 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $49.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.67. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.97 and a twelve month high of $60.24. The company has a market capitalization of $918.59 million, a P/E ratio of 15.07 and a beta of 0.41.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.01. The firm 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, equities analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. AMERISAFE's payout ratio is 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.