WINTON GROUP Ltd Takes $918,000 Position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 20,905 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $918,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned 0.11% of AMERISAFE at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMSF. Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its position in AMERISAFE by 70.3% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 178,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,348,000 after buying an additional 73,638 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 678,321 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,732,000 after purchasing an additional 105,414 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 855,916 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,941,000 after purchasing an additional 97,280 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the 1st quarter worth approximately $23,251,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the 1st quarter worth approximately $821,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of AMERISAFE stock opened at $48.98 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.23. The stock has a market cap of $937.23 million, a PE ratio of 15.26 and a beta of 0.34. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $54.80.

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 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 net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 16.38%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is 46.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

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.