Short Interest in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Grows By 26.5%

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 218,400 shares, an increase of 26.5% from the August 31st total of 172,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 113,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

AMSF traded down $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $48.31. 59,902 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 124,400. The company has a market cap of $924.41 million, a P/E ratio of 15.10 and a beta of 0.34. AMERISAFE has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $54.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.06.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted 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). AMERISAFE had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 16.38%. The company had revenue of $75.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $74.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AMERISAFE will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AMSF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com upgraded AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,472,739 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $73,887,000 after acquiring an additional 115,676 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 12.8% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 701,806 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,802,000 after buying an additional 83,438 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the 1st quarter worth about $23,251,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 315,409 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,843,000 after buying an additional 15,196 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

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.