Blue Trust Inc. Acquires 462 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 38.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,679 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 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. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth $99,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 158.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth about $190,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group boosted their price target on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $92.68 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.75 billion, a PE ratio of 7.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $90.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.95. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a twelve month low of $57.95 and a twelve month high of $94.89.

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

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the business’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 transaction, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital 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.