Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Amtrust Financial Services Inc.

Amtrust Financial Services Inc. is a NASDAQ listed security that has been trading in a range between $7.50 and $22.08 over the past year. With 59,959,000 shares outstanding, a recent price of $15.69 gives a total market capitalization of $961,742,415. While there are certainly larger companies, Amtrust Financial Services Inc. has definitely earned its place in the pack. Last year, Amtrust Financial Services Inc. created $1.14 in earnings for every share outstanding.

Amtrust Financial Services Inc. is currently priced by the market at 16.60 times last year’s earnings. Many trading multiples around the world are quite attractive these days, but don’t be fooled. A Price to Earnings ratio of 0 simply means that the security didn’t make any money last year.

With a share price under $50 a share and earnings per share in excess of $1 a share, Amtrust Financial Services Inc. could be an interesting value proposition. Consistent earnings are the key to high valuations and this security is well on its way.

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