Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 1,895 Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 36.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,114 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 63,926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,295,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 5,350 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 9,375 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,904 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 63.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,343 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a report on Wednesday, April 30th.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of AMSF stock opened at $47.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $903.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.41. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $60.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.02.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.01. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 19.49%. The business had revenue of $83.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.66 million. As a group, research analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is 62.90%.

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.