Texas Permanent School Fund Corp Has $1.22 Million Stake in AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF)

Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its stake in shares of AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) by 65.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,817 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,040 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp owned 0.15% of AMERISAFE worth $1,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its holdings in AMERISAFE by 14.4% in the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 76,870 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 9,672 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AMERISAFE by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 2,082 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AMERISAFE during the first quarter worth $154,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in AMERISAFE by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,901 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $182,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in AMERISAFE during the first quarter worth $253,000. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AMSF. StockNews.com upgraded AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

AMSF stock opened at $49.25 on Friday. AMERISAFE, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.97 and a 1 year high of $54.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $942.40 million, a PE ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 0.34. The company’s 50-day moving average is $48.20 and its 200-day moving average is $47.23.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $75.83 million for 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE, Inc. will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMERISAFE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. AMERISAFE’s payout ratio is presently 46.11%.

AMERISAFE 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.