Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Holdings in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF - Free Report) by 70.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,088 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 47,131 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.60% of AMERISAFE worth $5,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMSF. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 93.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 15,781 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $763,000 after buying an additional 7,615 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in AMERISAFE during the third quarter worth $28,000. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its position in AMERISAFE by 22.5% in the third quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 7,766 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 5.7% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,503 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 19,005 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AMSF. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AMERISAFE from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on AMERISAFE from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th.

AMERISAFE Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of AMSF traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.73. 76,692 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 125,274. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.97 and a 52-week high of $56.46. The company has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.09 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.19.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.38% and a net margin of 18.46%. The company had revenue of $78.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a $3.37 dividend. This represents a $13.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 24.63%. This is a positive change from AMERISAFE's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. AMERISAFE's dividend payout ratio is 46.11%.

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.