Legato Capital Management LLC Decreases Stake in Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG)

Legato Capital Management LLC cut its position in Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG - Free Report) by 35.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,886 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 14,609 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Employers worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EIG. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Employers during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Employers by 983.8% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,138 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Employers in the first quarter valued at about $201,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Employers during the first quarter worth about $235,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Employers during the first quarter worth about $250,000. 80.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Employers

In other Employers news, insider Ann Marie Smith sold 1,764 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.26, for a total value of $72,782.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $278,133.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Employers Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:EIG traded up $0.12 on Tuesday, reaching $47.24. 97,688 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,091. Employers Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.65 and a 1-year high of $49.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $44.78 and a 200-day moving average of $43.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.99 and a beta of 0.24.

Employers (NYSE:EIG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $217.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $223.82 million. Employers had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Employers Holdings, Inc. will post 3.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Employers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 14th. Employers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.42%.

Employers 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.