AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Shares Purchased by Values First Advisors Inc.

Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 16.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,782 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the quarter. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $224,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in AMERISAFE in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ AMSF traded up $0.48 during trading on Thursday, reaching $50.17. 194,640 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 135,571. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.86. The stock has a market cap of $960.25 million, a P/E ratio of 15.53 and a beta of 0.32. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $45.34 and a 12-month high of $57.06.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.08. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 17.19% and a net margin of 20.24%. The firm had revenue of $73.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.15 million. As a group, research analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from AMERISAFE’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is currently 45.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, TheStreet upgraded AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

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.