AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Earns Market Outperform Rating from JMP Securities

JMP Securities reaffirmed their market outperform rating on shares of AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) in a report released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $65.00 price target on the insurance provider’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of AMSF opened at $51.41 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $48.63 and its 200-day moving average is $46.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $983.73 million, a P/E ratio of 16.02 and a beta of 0.34. AMERISAFE has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $54.80.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $75.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $74.20 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.38% and a net margin of 18.46%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AMERISAFE will post 2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.11%.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMSF. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 1,028.4% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 14.4% during the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 76,870 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 9,672 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 97.1% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 822 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the second quarter worth approximately $100,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.