AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF Holdings Lessened by New South Capital Management Inc.

New South Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 43.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 71,012 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 53,785 shares during the quarter. New South Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $1,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in AMERISAFE by 1,405.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,709 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 2,529 shares during the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter valued at $477,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter valued at $417,000. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 28.1% in the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 136,969 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,237,000 after acquiring an additional 30,083 shares during the period. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the third quarter worth $431,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of AMSF stock opened at $19.31 on Thursday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.25 and a twelve month high of $42.10. The stock has a market cap of $357.81 million, a P/E ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 0.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $23.92 and a 200 day moving average of $30.27.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The insurance provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.08). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 12.10%. The company had revenue of $79.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $84.72 million. On average, research analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 4th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is 76.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AMSF shares. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on shares of AMERISAFE from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Weiss Ratings downgraded AMERISAFE from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $40.00 price objective on AMERISAFE in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AMERISAFE currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.33.

AMERISAFE Profile

AMERISAFE, Inc. is a specialty insurance company focused on workers’ compensation coverage for small and midsize businesses with higher-risk operations. Its customers include employers in industries such as construction, trucking, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry and logging, and maritime. The company offers workers’ compensation policies with different pricing structures, including guaranteed-cost and loss-sensitive options. Its services also include safety and loss-control support and claims management, helping policyholders address workplace risks and employee injuries.