Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 661,795 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,799 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in AMERISAFE were worth $34,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,904 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $562,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 94,556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,873,000 after buying an additional 2,802 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 92,636 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,774,000 after buying an additional 2,619 shares during the period. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 5,350 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the period. 97.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of AMERISAFE stock opened at $51.20 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.88. The company has a market cap of $975.36 million, a P/E ratio of 16.00 and a beta of 0.33. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $60.24.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The insurance provider reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.07. The business 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%. Analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is currently 53.98%.

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.