AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Sets New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $55.00 and last traded at $53.56, with a volume of 20555 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $50.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th.

AMERISAFE Stock Up 10.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.70 and a beta of 0.34. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $49.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.99.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.03). AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.38% and a net margin of 18.46%. The company had revenue of $75.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.11%.

Institutional Trading of AMERISAFE

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 12.8% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 855,916 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $42,941,000 after purchasing an additional 97,280 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE in the first quarter valued at approximately $23,251,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 5.1% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 315,409 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $13,843,000 after acquiring an additional 15,196 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in AMERISAFE during the first quarter worth $821,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 22.0% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 2,082 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the company's stock.

AMERISAFE Company 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.