Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Sells 59,953 Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. cut its position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 8.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 618,368 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 59,953 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $31,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the 1st quarter valued at about $253,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,852 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 755 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the 1st quarter worth approximately $821,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 2,082 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 17,719 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $888,000 after acquiring an additional 1,553 shares during the period. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael J. Brown purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $43.52 per share, for a total transaction of $43,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $437,593.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.45% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMSF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $47.07. 106,668 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 121,434. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.97 and a 1-year high of $54.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $44.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.55. The firm has a market cap of $897.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66 and a beta of 0.33.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $75.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.20 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 16.38%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.11%.

AMERISAFE 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.