AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Short Interest Update

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 132,800 shares, a decline of 37.5% from the February 13th total of 212,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 92,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $51.20 on Monday. AMERISAFE has a one year low of $41.97 and a one year high of $60.24. The stock has a market cap of $975.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.00 and a beta of 0.33. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.88.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The insurance provider reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $73.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.37 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.49% and a return on equity of 16.50%. On average, equities research analysts predict that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. AMERISAFE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.98%.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 63.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,343 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $99,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in AMERISAFE during the 4th quarter worth $180,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in AMERISAFE during the 3rd quarter worth $200,000. 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.