Royce & Associates LP Grows Stock Position in AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 611,371 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 55,750 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned about 3.23% of AMERISAFE worth $23,483,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AMSF. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 176.3% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 191,825 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,410,000 after buying an additional 122,387 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the 4th quarter worth about $4,145,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,345,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 82.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 217,280 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,418,000 after buying an additional 98,293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,513,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

AMSF opened at $30.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $32.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.96. The company has a market cap of $575.96 million, a PE ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 0.23. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.42 and a 1 year high of $47.86.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.02). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 15.34% and a net margin of 14.27%.The business had revenue of $80.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.49 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of AMERISAFE from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on shares of AMERISAFE from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.67.

About AMERISAFE

Amerisafe, Inc (NASDAQ: AMSF) is a specialty provider of workers’ compensation insurance products and services in the United States. The company focuses on underwriting and managing workers’ compensation policies for small to mid-sized public and private businesses, particularly in higher-hazard industries such as retail, manufacturing, distribution and wholesale. Through its network of independent agents, Amerisafe delivers tailored coverage solutions that combine robust risk management support with loss prevention programs designed to enhance workplace safety.

In addition to core insurance offerings, Amerisafe provides extensive risk control resources, including safety training, on-site consultations and claims management services.