Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Director Henry Smith Sells 3,500 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Axis Capital Director Henry Smith sold 3,500 shares at an average price of $98.67, totaling $345,345, reducing his ownership by approximately 6.89%.
• The company's stock is currently priced at $98.086 with a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, and analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating with an average target price of $111.43.
• Axis Capital recently reported an EPS of $3.29, exceeding expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 12.6%.

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) Director Henry Smith sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.67, for a total value of $345,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 47,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,666,597.65. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded down $1.1040 on Monday, hitting $98.0860. The company's stock had a trading volume of 486,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 706,364. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $74.68 and a 12 month high of $107.19. The stock's 50-day moving average is $98.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.83.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. Axis Capital had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 18.77%. Axis Capital's quarterly revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AXS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Axis Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $119.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.43.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AXS. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in Axis Capital by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 10,883 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $964,000 after buying an additional 2,021 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 210.3% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,008 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $710,000 after buying an additional 5,427 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Axis Capital by 1,495.3% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,748 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 6,325 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in Axis Capital by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 32,720 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,900,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 4th quarter worth $1,679,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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