Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,680 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in AMERISAFE by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in AMERISAFE by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,178 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its position in AMERISAFE by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 2,761 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in AMERISAFE by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 28,117 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,499,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in AMERISAFE by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 21,951 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $48.65 on Thursday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.34 and a 52 week high of $57.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $931.16 million, a PE ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 0.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $50.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.58.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.08. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 17.19% and a net margin of 20.24%. The firm had revenue of $73.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.15 million. Sell-side analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is a boost from AMERISAFE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Monday. TheStreet raised AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

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.