Employers (NYSE:EIG) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Employers Holdings Inc (NYSE:EIG) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $43.78 and traded as high as $49.87. Employers shares last traded at $49.84, with a volume of 209,828 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Employers from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Employers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Employers from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Employers presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Employers Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $909.08 million, a P/E ratio of 151.03 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $46.47 and a 200-day moving average of $43.78.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $207.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $213.04 million. Employers had a net margin of 0.95% and a return on equity of 1.10%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Employers Holdings Inc will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Employers Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This is a positive change from Employers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Employers’s payout ratio is currently 412.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Employers

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Employers by 126.2% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 329,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,224,000 after buying an additional 183,828 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Employers by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 388,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,783,000 after purchasing an additional 159,956 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in Employers by 93.1% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 264,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,459,000 after buying an additional 127,330 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Employers by 326.5% during the third quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 141,611 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,016,000 after purchasing an additional 108,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Employers by 125.0% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 181,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,703,000 after buying an additional 100,751 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.49% of the company’s stock.

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.