AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Sets New 52-Week Low at $44.61

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $44.61 and last traded at $45.29, with a volume of 12027 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMSF has been the topic of a number of research reports. TheStreet raised shares of AMERISAFE from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Monday, April 15th.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 1.4 %

The company has a market cap of $872.78 million, a PE ratio of 14.21 and a beta of 0.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.42.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $80.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.22 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.97% and a return on equity of 16.76%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. AMERISAFE's payout ratio is 46.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,962,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,680 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter worth $1,126,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE during the 3rd quarter worth about $533,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its stake in AMERISAFE by 81.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 10,640 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 4,763 shares during the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.