Neuberger Berman Group LLC Lowers Position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC cut its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,786,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 8,970 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned 0.09% of AMERISAFE worth $93,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMSF. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 301.6% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,554 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 19.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 336.1% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 144.2% during the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,696 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 2,773 shares during the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of AMSF opened at $46.10 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $875.44 million, a P/E ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $44.51 and a 200 day moving average of $47.73. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.48 and a twelve month high of $60.24.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $79.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.30 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 16.54%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AMERISAFE

In other AMERISAFE news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of AMERISAFE stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.75, for a total value of $60,099.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 2,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,821.75. The trade was a 37.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AMSF. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th.

About AMERISAFE

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.