New South Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

New South Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 201,129 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 5,667 shares during the quarter. New South Capital Management Inc. owned about 1.05% of AMERISAFE worth $8,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,472,739 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $73,887,000 after buying an additional 115,676 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 855,916 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,941,000 after purchasing an additional 97,280 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 678,321 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,732,000 after purchasing an additional 105,414 shares during the period. M&G Plc bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the first quarter valued at approximately $23,251,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 301,819 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,119,000 after purchasing an additional 12,433 shares in the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

AMSF stock opened at $48.52 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.40. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a one year low of $41.97 and a one year high of $54.80. The firm has a market cap of $928.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.12 and a beta of 0.34.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $75.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $74.20 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 16.38%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AMSF shares. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com raised AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

AMERISAFE 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.