AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Short Interest Up 26.5% in September

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 218,400 shares, an increase of 26.5% from the August 31st total of 172,700 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 113,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF opened at $48.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $924.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.05 and a beta of 0.34. AMERISAFE has a 12 month low of $41.97 and a 12 month high of $54.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $48.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.04.

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

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The company 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 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 6th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is 46.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMSF has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in AMERISAFE during the 2nd quarter valued at about $100,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of AMERISAFE by 136.8% in the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 64,430 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,828,000 after buying an additional 37,224 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 100,150 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,396,000 after acquiring an additional 9,902 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 1,028.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning grew its position in AMERISAFE by 63.6% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,166 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 3,175 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.