GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 184,132 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 11,415.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,745 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 184,132 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.23% of AXIS Capital worth $18,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 203.9% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,039 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,368 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 60.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,658 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,451,000 after acquiring an additional 10,393 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 197.7% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,542 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,175,000 after acquiring an additional 16,298 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $610,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $254,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on AXS. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen raised AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.75.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

AXIS Capital stock traded down $2.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $104.09. 846,415 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 602,605. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $98.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.08. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $68.02 and a one year high of $111.01. 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 stock has a market cap of $8.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.83.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. The business's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is presently 17.46%.

AXIS Capital Company 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.