StockNews.com Downgrades AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) to Sell

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Monday, April 15th. TheStreet upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMSF opened at $47.61 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $49.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.21. The stock has a market cap of $911.26 million, a PE ratio of 14.83 and a beta of 0.35. AMERISAFE has a 1 year low of $44.61 and a 1 year high of $56.84.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $80.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.22 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.97% and a return on equity of 16.76%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMSF. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 678,321 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,732,000 after purchasing an additional 105,414 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 70.3% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 178,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,348,000 after purchasing an additional 73,638 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in AMERISAFE during the third quarter valued at $1,962,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,398,263 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $65,411,000 after acquiring an additional 37,048 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE in the third quarter valued at $1,126,000. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

About AMERISAFE

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.