Employers (NYSE:EIG) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Employers Holdings Inc (NYSE:EIG) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $51.93 and last traded at $51.6910, with a volume of 198042 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $51.93.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Employers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Employers from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Employers from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Employers presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Employers Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $941.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 156.42 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $45.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.42.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $207.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $213.04 million. Employers had a net margin of 0.95% and a return on equity of 1.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Employers Holdings Inc will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Employers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Employers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. Employers’s payout ratio is 412.12%.

Institutional Trading of Employers

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EIG. Azarias Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Employers during the fourth quarter worth about $2,983,000. Legato Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Employers by 230.7% during the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 34,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after acquiring an additional 24,053 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Employers by 719.3% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 95,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,106,000 after acquiring an additional 83,506 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Employers by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 139,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,007,000 after acquiring an additional 27,299 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Employers during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,606,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.49% of the company’s stock.

About Employers

Employers Holdings, Inc (NYSE: EIG) is a publicly traded property and casualty insurance holding company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Through its subsidiaries, Employers Mutual Casualty Company and Employers Preferred Insurance Company, the firm specializes in providing workers’ compensation coverage alongside an array of commercial insurance products. Its service offerings include general liability, commercial auto, businessowners policies and umbrella coverages, tailored to meet the risk-management needs of small and mid-sized businesses across multiple industries.

The company markets its insurance solutions primarily through a network of independent agencies and brokers, leveraging local market expertise to underwrite policies that address the unique exposures faced by clients in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail and service sectors.