AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Short Interest Up 9.1% in April

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 337,800 shares, an increase of 9.1% from the March 31st total of 309,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 140,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ AMSF opened at $44.98 on Tuesday. AMERISAFE has a 12-month low of $44.88 and a 12-month high of $57.06. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.46. The stock has a market cap of $860.92 million, a P/E ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 0.32.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $80.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.22 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 19.97%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AMERISAFE will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on AMSF. TheStreet upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com cut AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Monday, April 15th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the third quarter worth $1,962,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,680 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,126,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE during the third quarter worth about $533,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP raised its position in AMERISAFE by 81.0% during the third quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 10,640 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 4,763 shares in the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Company Profile

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.