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

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $406,613,715. This trade 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 hyperlink.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of AXS stock opened at $90.37 on Wednesday. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $56.93 and a 12 month high of $94.89. The stock has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of 7.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $90.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.88.

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, topping 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 analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company 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 payout ratio is 14.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen lifted their target price 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. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXIS Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXS. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 32,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,542,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,799 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its stake 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 valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

About AXIS Capital

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.