AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Equities researchers at StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF – Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on AMSF. TheStreet upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Friday, February 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $58.00 target price for the company.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $49.18 on Thursday. AMERISAFE has a 52 week low of $44.72 and a 52 week high of $60.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $53.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.15. The company has a market cap of $942.09 million, a PE ratio of 17.08 and a beta of 0.34.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.19. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 18.86% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The business had revenue of $79.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.59 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AMERISAFE will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMSF. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 40,399 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,007,000 after purchasing an additional 4,271 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 225,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,211,000 after acquiring an additional 2,010 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 18,842 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,725 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,364 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $217,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 55.2% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 10,751 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 3,824 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.54% of the company’s stock.

About AMERISAFE

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AMERISAFE, Inc engages the provision of workers’ compensation insurance focused on small to mid-sized employers. The firm covers the construction, trucking, logging and lumber, agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications, and maritime industries. The company was founded by Millard E. Morris in 1985 and is headquartered in DeRidder, LA.