R Squared Ltd Lowers Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

R Squared Ltd reduced its position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 36.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 29,859 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 17,194 shares during the quarter. AMERISAFE makes up about 0.5% of R Squared Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $995,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 51.0% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 53,787 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 18,175 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in AMERISAFE by 25.9% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 15,386 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 3,168 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in AMERISAFE during the first quarter worth about $280,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 29.3% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 2,408 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 4.5% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 10,693 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMSF traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $35.14. 26,257 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 210,740. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $31.45 and its 200-day moving average is $34.34. The stock has a market cap of $657.12 million, a P/E ratio of 14.47 and a beta of 0.23. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.42 and a 1-year high of $47.86.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.02). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 15.34% and a net margin of 14.27%.The company had revenue of $80.09 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.49 million. As a group, research analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 12th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on AMERISAFE from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on AMERISAFE from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.67.

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.