Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New $9.71 Million Investment in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 188,354 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,708,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.99% of AMERISAFE at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 381 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 5,350 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,904 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 63.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,343 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 19,008 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $919,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.41% of the company’s stock.

AMERISAFE Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ AMSF opened at $51.72 on Friday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.97 and a 12 month high of $60.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.90. The company has a market capitalization of $985.27 million, a PE ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.33.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The insurance provider reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $73.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.37 million. AMERISAFE had a net margin of 19.49% and a return on equity of 16.50%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is presently 53.98%.

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.