AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Short Interest Update

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 319,800 shares, an increase of 91.0% from the February 29th total of 167,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 129,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, TheStreet raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of AMSF opened at $49.69 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $951.07 million, a PE ratio of 15.38 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.86. AMERISAFE has a 12-month low of $45.34 and a 12-month high of $57.06.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $73.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.15 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 20.24% and a return on equity of 17.19%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AMERISAFE will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from AMERISAFE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.