AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Shares Bought by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,398,263 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,048 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AMERISAFE worth $65,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in AMERISAFE during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Values First Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 4,782 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in AMERISAFE by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,569 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in AMERISAFE by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 5,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Partners II LLC acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the third quarter valued at approximately $270,000. 97.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 0.6 %

AMSF opened at $47.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $49.75 and its 200-day moving average is $49.31. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $44.61 and a 52-week high of $57.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $901.88 million, a P/E ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 0.35.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.03. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.97% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The business had revenue of $80.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.22 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. Equities analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th.

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.