QRG Capital Management Inc. Increases Position in Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG)

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,191 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. owned 0.14% of Employers worth $1,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EIG. Barclays PLC increased its position in Employers by 300.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,991,000 after purchasing an additional 31,131 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Employers by 18.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 79,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,814,000 after purchasing an additional 12,422 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Employers by 22.9% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 48,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,350,000 after purchasing an additional 9,138 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its position in Employers by 24.7% during the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 34,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,650,000 after purchasing an additional 6,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Employers during the third quarter worth approximately $291,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.49% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Employers

In related news, Director James R. Kroner sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.90, for a total transaction of $101,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 25,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,812.20. This trade represents a 7.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ann Marie Smith sold 1,385 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.24, for a total transaction of $70,967.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $450,963.24. The trade was a 13.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,385 shares of company stock valued at $224,267 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Employers Stock Up 1.2 %

Employers stock opened at $51.77 on Monday. Employers Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.67 and a 52-week high of $54.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $49.68 and a 200-day moving average of $49.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 0.27.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.07. Employers had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 8.99%. The company had revenue of $216.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.18 million. On average, research analysts expect that Employers Holdings, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Employers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Employers’s payout ratio is currently 25.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Employers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th.

About Employers

Employers Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Employers and Cerity. It offers workers’ compensation insurance to small businesses in low to medium hazard industries under the Employers and Cerity brands.