GAMMA Investing LLC Boosts Position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 6,160.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,080 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 82,737 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.44% of AMERISAFE worth $4,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,738,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth $9,708,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 536,836 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,675,000 after purchasing an additional 83,297 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 92.1% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 161,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,340,000 after buying an additional 77,582 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,881,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ AMSF opened at $45.35 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $47.70 and a 200-day moving average of $50.44. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.97 and a 1-year high of $60.24. The firm has a market cap of $863.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.42.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $83.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.66 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.49% and a return on equity of 16.50%. On average, analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.