Employers Holdings Inc $EIG Stock Position Raised by Azarias Capital Management L.P.

Azarias Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Employers Holdings Inc (NYSE:EIG) by 102.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 140,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 71,072 shares during the quarter. Employers makes up about 2.6% of Azarias Capital Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Azarias Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Employers were worth $5,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legato Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Employers by 230.7% in the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 34,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 24,053 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Employers by 719.3% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 95,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,106,000 after purchasing an additional 83,506 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in shares of Employers by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 139,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,007,000 after acquiring an additional 27,299 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Employers in the 4th quarter valued at $1,606,000. Finally, Dean Capital Management boosted its holdings in Employers by 292.3% in the 4th quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 65,339 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,821,000 after purchasing an additional 48,683 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.49% of the company’s stock.

Employers Stock Performance

EIG opened at $46.51 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market cap of $848.40 million, a PE ratio of 140.95 and a beta of 0.49. Employers Holdings Inc has a 1 year low of $35.73 and a 1 year high of $47.91.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.02). Employers had a net margin of 0.95% and a return on equity of 1.10%. The business had revenue of $207.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $213.04 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Employers Holdings Inc will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Employers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is an increase from Employers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Employers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 412.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EIG. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Employers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Employers in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Employers from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Employers has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Employers Profile

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.