Hsbc Holdings PLC Acquires New Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 18,870 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,679,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AXS. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in AXIS Capital by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth $70,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE AXS traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $100.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 72,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 721,379. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $68.02 and a 52-week high of $101.42. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $95.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.53. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. This trade represents a 47.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AXS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AXIS Capital from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated 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 target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.75.

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.