Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG) Holdings Lowered by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Employers Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EIG) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,007 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Employers worth $3,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Employers by 300.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 41,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,991,000 after purchasing an additional 31,131 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Employers by 27.0% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 6,806 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 1,448 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Employers by 18.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 79,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,814,000 after buying an additional 12,422 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in Employers by 22.9% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 48,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,350,000 after buying an additional 9,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Employers by 1.6% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 14,723 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. 80.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Employers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EIG opened at $51.04 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.78 and a 200-day moving average of $50.05. Employers Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $38.67 and a one year high of $54.44.

Employers (NYSE:EIG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.15 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $221.18 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Employers Holdings, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Employers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Employers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity

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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $450,963.24. The trade was a 13.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James R. Kroner sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.50, for a total value of $51,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,458 shares of the company’s stock, 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 have sold 5,385 shares of company stock worth $276,267 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.