Norges Bank Buys New Shares in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Norges Bank purchased a new position in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 55,900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,881,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,393,807 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,837,000 after buying an additional 50,441 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in AMERISAFE by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 811,561 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $39,223,000 after acquiring an additional 63,638 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in AMERISAFE by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 661,795 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,109,000 after purchasing an additional 21,799 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in AMERISAFE by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 453,539 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $21,924,000 after purchasing an additional 6,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP purchased a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,738,000. 97.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMERISAFE Stock Performance

Shares of AMERISAFE stock opened at $48.82 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $50.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.17. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.97 and a 52-week high of $60.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $930.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.26 and a beta of 0.34.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released 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 firm had revenue of $73.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.37 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.49% and a return on equity of 16.50%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is 53.98%.

AMERISAFE Profile

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.