Employers Holdings Inc (NYSE:EIG) Short Interest Update

Employers Holdings Inc (NYSE:EIG) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 887,024 shares, a decline of 35.3% from the June 15th total of 1,370,594 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 433,883 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 4.9% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Employers Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:EIG traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $49.95. 72,379 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 262,685. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $46.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.78. Employers has a 12-month low of $35.73 and a 12-month high of $52.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $911.16 million, a P/E ratio of 151.38 and a beta of 0.46.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.02). Employers had a net margin of 0.95% and a return on equity of 1.10%. The company had revenue of $207.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $213.04 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Employers will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Employers Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This is an increase from Employers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Employers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 412.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on EIG. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Employers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Employers from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Employers from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Employers has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Employers

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EIG. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Employers by 126.2% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 329,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,224,000 after acquiring an additional 183,828 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in Employers by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 388,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,783,000 after purchasing an additional 159,956 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in Employers by 93.1% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 264,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,459,000 after purchasing an additional 127,330 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in Employers by 326.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 141,611 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,016,000 after purchasing an additional 108,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its stake in Employers by 125.0% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 181,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,703,000 after purchasing an additional 100,751 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.49% of the company’s stock.

Employers Company Profile

Employers Holdings, Inc (NYSE: EIG) is a publicly traded property and casualty insurance holding company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Through its subsidiaries, Employers Mutual Casualty Company and Employers Preferred Insurance Company, the firm specializes in providing workers’ compensation coverage alongside an array of commercial insurance products. Its service offerings include general liability, commercial auto, businessowners policies and umbrella coverages, tailored to meet the risk-management needs of small and mid-sized businesses across multiple industries.

The company markets its insurance solutions primarily through a network of independent agencies and brokers, leveraging local market expertise to underwrite policies that address the unique exposures faced by clients in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail and service sectors.