Farringdon Capital Ltd. Makes New Investment in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. purchased a new position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 5,829 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $517,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 130 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the company'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 sale, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of AXS stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $95.38. The company had a trading volume of 114,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 599,963. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $60.64 and a one year high of $101.42. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $94.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.78. The firm has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AXS shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.75.

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.