AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Short Interest Up 29.5% in March

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 332,239 shares, an increase of 29.5% from the February 26th total of 256,457 shares. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 199,002 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $32.73 on Friday. AMERISAFE has a 12-month low of $32.00 and a 12-month high of $53.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $615.32 million, a P/E ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.93.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $81.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.05 million. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 14.86%. Research analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.40%.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AMSF. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AMERISAFE by 142.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 159.6% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 346.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 38.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AMSF shares. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of AMERISAFE from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AMERISAFE from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $55.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.67.

About AMERISAFE

Amerisafe, Inc (NASDAQ: AMSF) is a specialty provider of workers’ compensation insurance products and services in the United States. The company focuses on underwriting and managing workers’ compensation policies for small to mid-sized public and private businesses, particularly in higher-hazard industries such as retail, manufacturing, distribution and wholesale. Through its network of independent agents, Amerisafe delivers tailored coverage solutions that combine robust risk management support with loss prevention programs designed to enhance workplace safety.

In addition to core insurance offerings, Amerisafe provides extensive risk control resources, including safety training, on-site consultations and claims management services.