Short Interest in Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG) Expands By 44.4%

Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 412,800 shares, an increase of 44.4% from the February 28th total of 285,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 155,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Employers Trading Down 0.8 %

EIG traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $50.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 95,442 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,073. Employers has a fifty-two week low of $38.67 and a fifty-two week high of $54.44. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.21.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.07. Employers had a return on equity of 8.99% and a net margin of 13.47%. The business had revenue of $216.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $221.18 million. Research analysts expect that Employers will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Employers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Employers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.48%.

Insider Activity at Employers

In related news, insider Ann Marie Smith sold 1,385 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.24, for a total transaction of $70,967.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,801 shares in the company, valued at $450,963.24. This represents a 13.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James R. Kroner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.50, for a total value of $51,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,087. The trade was a 4.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,385 shares of company stock valued at $276,267 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EIG. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Employers by 312.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Employers in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Employers by 50.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 596 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Employers in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Employers by 15.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 80.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Employers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th.

Employers Company Profile

Employers Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Employers and Cerity. It offers workers’ compensation insurance to small businesses in low to medium hazard industries under the Employers and Cerity brands.