AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Director Sells $199,999,922.00 in 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 shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 1.0 %

AXIS Capital stock traded down $0.90 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $90.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 660,182 shares, compared to its average volume of 699,432. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.75. The company has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.95. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $56.93 and a 12 month high of $94.89.

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

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AXS shares. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on AXIS Capital from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 32.6% during the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at about $82,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.