Sivia Capital Partners LLC Makes New $294,000 Investment in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,937 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $294,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AXS. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $70,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AXS. Wall Street Zen upgraded AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AXIS Capital from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.75.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 2.8%

AXS stock traded up $2.79 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $103.76. 667,673 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 605,113. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $98.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.83. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $68.02 and a 12-month high of $107.19.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.07 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is currently 17.46%.

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.