Employers (NYSE:EIG) Sets New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $49.41 and last traded at $49.34, with a volume of 12404 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, JMP Securities upgraded shares of Employers to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st.

Employers Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.26 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.68.

Employers (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $217.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $223.82 million. Employers had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The firm's revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. Research analysts predict that Employers Holdings, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

Employers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Employers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Employers

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Employers by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,154,256 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $124,278,000 after acquiring an additional 16,997 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Employers by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,103,051 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $89,653,000 after purchasing an additional 13,889 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management grew its position in shares of Employers by 33.5% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,066,245 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,454,000 after purchasing an additional 267,419 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Employers by 24.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 458,722 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,555,000 after purchasing an additional 89,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in Employers by 0.5% during the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 81,362 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.49% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.