Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 21,628 Shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. $AMSF

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 45.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,169 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,628 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.36% of AMERISAFE worth $3,635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE during the first quarter valued at approximately $509,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 12.5% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 15,524 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $818,000 after buying an additional 1,731 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 52.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,610 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 6,366 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 92.1% during the fourth 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, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 102,843 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,301,000 after buying an additional 7,399 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AMSF. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of AMERISAFE from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AMERISAFE presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Anastasios Omiridis sold 1,343 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.75, for a total value of $60,099.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $100,821.75. The trade was a 37.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $46.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $890.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.76 and a beta of 0.39. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.48 and a 52 week high of $60.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $44.58 and a 200 day moving average of $47.49.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $79.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.30 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.54% and a net margin of 16.46%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is 59.09%.

AMERISAFE 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.