AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Director Charles A. Davis Sells 2,234,636 Shares of Stock

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This represents a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of AXS stock opened at $90.12 on Tuesday. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $56.93 and a 52-week high of $94.89. The stock has a market cap of $7.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $90.07 and a 200-day moving average of $82.75.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 28.5% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.25.

AXIS Capital Company Profile

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides various specialty insurance and reinsurance products in Bermuda, the United States, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers professional insurance products that cover directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions, employment practices, fiduciary, crime, professional indemnity, medical malpractice, and other financial insurance related coverages for commercial enterprises, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and other professional service providers; and property insurance products for commercial buildings, residential premises, construction projects, property in transit, onshore renewable energy installations, and physical damage and business interruption following an act of terrorism.