Victory Capital Management Inc. Increases Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,398,263 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 37,048 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 7.29% of AMERISAFE worth $65,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the third quarter valued at about $1,962,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,680 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $406,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the third quarter valued at about $1,126,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the third quarter valued at about $533,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 81.0% in the third 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AMSF shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. 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 Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMSF traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $47.12. 106,638 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 135,606. The company has a market capitalization of $901.88 million, a P/E ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 0.35. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $44.61 and a 52-week high of $57.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $49.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.29.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $80.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.22 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.97% and a return on equity of 16.76%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.11%.

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.