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

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 253,200 shares, an increase of 46.6% from the December 15th total of 172,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 118,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AMSF. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP grew its position in AMERISAFE by 1,028.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in AMERISAFE by 97.1% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 822 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter valued at $100,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 1.1 %

AMERISAFE stock traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.68. 1,944 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 73,049. The stock has a market cap of $984.50 million, a P/E ratio of 16.15 and a beta of 0.35. AMERISAFE has a 12 month low of $41.97 and a 12 month high of $60.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $54.81 and its 200-day moving average is $50.82.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $78.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.38 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 19.49%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a $3.37 dividend. This represents a $13.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 26.08%. This is a positive change from AMERISAFE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial increased their price target on AMERISAFE from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

AMERISAFE, Inc, an insurance holding company, underwrites workers’ compensation insurance in the United States. The company provides benefits to injured employees for temporary or permanent disability, death, and medical and hospital expenses. It sells its products through retail and wholesale brokers and agents; and small and mid-sized employers engaged in hazardous industries, including construction, trucking, logging and lumber, agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications, and maritime.