AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) Downgraded by StockNews.com

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Friday.

AMSF has been the subject of a number of other reports. TheStreet raised AMERISAFE from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Monday, April 15th.

AMERISAFE Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMSF traded down $0.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $45.56. 192,898 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 133,915. AMERISAFE has a 52-week low of $44.88 and a 52-week high of $57.06. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.52. The company has a market cap of $872.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 0.32.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The insurance provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.08. AMERISAFE had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 19.97%. The firm had revenue of $73.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.15 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AMERISAFE

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,178 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 10,967 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,287 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,318,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 104,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,248,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio lifted its stake in shares of AMERISAFE by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 13,900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. 97.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About AMERISAFE

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.