AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $28.75 and last traded at $28.5120, with a volume of 9109 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AMSF shares. Wall Street Zen raised AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Truist Financial lowered their target price on AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research lowered AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AMERISAFE has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.00.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $519.49 million, a PE ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $31.97 and its 200-day moving average is $33.13.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $91.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $85.09 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 14.87%. On average, analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is currently 66.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted 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 buying an additional 15,970,329 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter valued at $122,167,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 55.4% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 696,095 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,737,000 after acquiring an additional 248,105 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in AMERISAFE by 176.3% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 191,825 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,410,000 after acquiring an additional 122,387 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the second quarter worth $3,583,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

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.