State of Alaska Department of Revenue Trims Stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,550 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 261 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in AMERISAFE in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 19.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter worth $180,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 336.1% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 3,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $205,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

AMERISAFE Stock Up 0.9%

AMSF stock opened at $43.87 on Monday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $42.68 and a fifty-two week high of $60.24. The stock has a market cap of $835.72 million, a PE ratio of 17.69 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.22.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $83.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.66 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 15.76%. Equities analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is 62.90%.

About AMERISAFE

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.