Employers (NYSE:EIG) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Employers (NYSE:EIG) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

EIG has been the topic of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Employers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Employers in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Employers has an average rating of “Buy”.

Employers Stock Performance

NYSE EIG opened at $41.33 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $43.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.98. Employers has a twelve month low of $35.73 and a twelve month high of $52.28. The stock has a market cap of $929.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 125.24 and a beta of 0.57.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.25. Employers had a return on equity of 2.10% and a net margin of 1.26%.The business had revenue of $170.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $217.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. Employers’s revenue was down 21.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Employers will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Employers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Employers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 387.88%.

Insider Activity at Employers

In other news, EVP Michael Pedraja acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $39.73 per share, for a total transaction of $79,460.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 19,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $787,845.90. This represents a 11.22% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Employers

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of Employers by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 6,172 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its position in Employers by 1.2% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 22,623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $961,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Employers by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 24,084 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,040,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Employers by 133.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Employers by 145.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. 80.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Employers

Employers Holdings, Inc (NYSE: EIG) is a publicly traded property and casualty insurance holding company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Through its subsidiaries, Employers Mutual Casualty Company and Employers Preferred Insurance Company, the firm specializes in providing workers’ compensation coverage alongside an array of commercial insurance products. Its service offerings include general liability, commercial auto, businessowners policies and umbrella coverages, tailored to meet the risk-management needs of small and mid-sized businesses across multiple industries.

The company markets its insurance solutions primarily through a network of independent agencies and brokers, leveraging local market expertise to underwrite policies that address the unique exposures faced by clients in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail and service sectors.