Aviva PLC Sells 14,219 Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Aviva PLC reduced its stake in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF – Get Rating) by 43.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,886 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 14,219 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 13,502 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $702,000 after buying an additional 2,508 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter valued at about $225,000. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 710.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 9,320 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 8,170 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in AMERISAFE by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,157 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,307,000 after purchasing an additional 5,223 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its position in AMERISAFE by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 46,500 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,417,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.54% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $54.39 on Friday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $44.72 and a 52-week high of $60.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $52.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.28.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.19. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 18.68% and a return on equity of 16.87%. The company had revenue of $79.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.59 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 16th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is currently 47.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AMSF. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on AMERISAFE in a research report on Friday, February 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $58.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

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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.