Employers (NYSE:EIG) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Employers (NYSE:EIG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

EIG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Employers from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Employers in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Employers Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:EIG opened at $40.43 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $43.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.96. The company has a market capitalization of $787.58 million, a PE ratio of 122.52 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. Employers has a 1-year low of $35.73 and a 1-year high of $51.48.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.25. Employers had a net margin of 1.26% and a return on equity of 2.10%. The company had revenue of $170.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $217.35 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.15 EPS. Employers’s revenue was down 21.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Employers will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Employers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Employers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 387.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael Pedraja bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.73 per share, for a total transaction of $79,460.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 19,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $787,845.90. This represents a 11.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Employers

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of EIG. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Employers by 145.5% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Employers by 133.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Employers during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Employers by 35.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,561 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Employers by 230.2% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.49% of the company’s stock.

About Employers

Employers Holdings, Inc (NYSE: EIG) is a publicly traded property and casualty insurance holding company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Through its subsidiaries, Employers Mutual Casualty Company and Employers Preferred Insurance Company, the firm specializes in providing workers’ compensation coverage alongside an array of commercial insurance products. Its service offerings include general liability, commercial auto, businessowners policies and umbrella coverages, tailored to meet the risk-management needs of small and mid-sized businesses across multiple industries.

The company markets its insurance solutions primarily through a network of independent agencies and brokers, leveraging local market expertise to underwrite policies that address the unique exposures faced by clients in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail and service sectors.