AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Short Interest Update

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 256,457 shares, a drop of 31.2% from the February 12th total of 372,998 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 184,460 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 184,460 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on AMSF. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $55.00 price objective on AMERISAFE in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on AMERISAFE from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.67.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 3,741.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 16,397,229 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $62,982,000 after purchasing an additional 15,970,329 shares during the last quarter. VARCOV Co. bought a new stake in AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth $419,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth $360,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in AMERISAFE by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 193,628 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,437,000 after acquiring an additional 1,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in AMERISAFE by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 12,218 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of AMERISAFE stock traded down $0.07 on Friday, reaching $32.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 174,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 185,891. The company has a market capitalization of $617.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.30 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.90. AMERISAFE has a 52 week low of $32.00 and a 52 week high of $53.27.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.06). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 14.86%.The company had revenue of $81.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.05 million. As a group, research analysts predict that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

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.