Barclays PLC Boosts Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Barclays PLC increased its stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 365.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,219 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 26,084 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.17% of AMERISAFE worth $1,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in AMERISAFE by 1.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 283,307 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $12,434,000 after purchasing an additional 3,719 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 37.2% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,413 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 1,739 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 14.4% during the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 76,870 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 9,672 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in AMERISAFE by 66.9% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 15,017 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 6,020 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 65.8% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 27,817 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,221,000 after buying an additional 11,040 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMSF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of AMERISAFE from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of AMSF stock traded down $0.51 on Friday, reaching $51.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 57,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,654. The company has a market capitalization of $983.55 million, a P/E ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.33. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.97 and a 12-month high of $60.24. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $55.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.13.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.50% and a net margin of 19.49%. The firm had revenue of $78.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. Research analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $3.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $13.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 26.11%. This is a boost from AMERISAFE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.25%.

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.