AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) Announces $0.37 Quarterly Dividend

AMERISAFE, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSF) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, July 29th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of 0.37 per share by the insurance provider on Friday, September 20th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th.

AMERISAFE has increased its dividend by an average of 8.0% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 11 consecutive years. AMERISAFE has a dividend payout ratio of 63.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect AMERISAFE to earn $2.13 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.48 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 69.5%.

AMERISAFE Trading Down 1.0 %

AMERISAFE stock traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $47.39. 4,838 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,257. AMERISAFE has a fifty-two week low of $41.97 and a fifty-two week high of $54.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $907.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.91 and a beta of 0.33. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $44.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.55.

AMERISAFE (NASDAQ:AMSF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.03). AMERISAFE had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 16.27%. The company had revenue of $75.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $74.20 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that AMERISAFE will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on AMSF. StockNews.com raised shares of AMERISAFE from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of AMERISAFE in a research note on Tuesday.

Insider Buying and Selling at AMERISAFE

In other news, Director Michael J. Brown bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $43.52 per share, with a total value of $43,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $437,593.60. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.45% of the company’s stock.

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.