Legal & General Group Plc Makes New Investment in AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 45,480 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,539,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.25% of AMERISAFE as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 142.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 159.6% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,313 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 37,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,437,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $25.99 on Monday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a twelve month low of $25.63 and a twelve month high of $47.86. The company has a market cap of $481.85 million, a PE ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.23. The company’s 50 day moving average is $30.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.66.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.08). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 14.00%.The company had revenue of $91.97 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $85.09 million. As a group, analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMSF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on AMERISAFE from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised AMERISAFE from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AMERISAFE presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.00.

AMERISAFE Profile

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.