American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 48,844 Shares of Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG - Free Report) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 565,154 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 48,844 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 2.29% of Employers worth $28,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Employers during the fourth quarter worth about $7,451,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Employers by 300.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,991,000 after buying an additional 31,131 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Employers by 181.8% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 24,205 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,240,000 after buying an additional 15,617 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Employers by 18.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 79,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,814,000 after acquiring an additional 12,422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its position in Employers by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 280,489 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,248,000 after acquiring an additional 10,158 shares during the last quarter. 80.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ann Marie Smith sold 1,385 shares of Employers stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.24, for a total transaction of $70,967.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,801 shares in the company, valued at $450,963.24. The trade was a 13.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James R. Kroner sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $52,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 22,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,167,816. This represents a 4.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,385 shares of company stock valued at $276,267. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Employers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th.

Employers Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Employers stock traded down $0.27 on Wednesday, hitting $51.04. The stock had a trading volume of 110,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,188. Employers Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $38.67 and a one year high of $54.44. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $49.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.21.

Employers (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $216.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $221.18 million. Employers had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 8.99%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Employers Holdings, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Employers Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Employers's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.48%.

Employers Company Profile

Employers Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Employers and Cerity. It offers workers' compensation insurance to small businesses in low to medium hazard industries under the Employers and Cerity brands.