AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 74.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,849 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 23,295 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $696,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth $70,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 833 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In other 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 completion of 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. 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 report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.75.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded up $2.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.69. 178,769 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 593,264. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.92. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1 year low of $68.02 and a 1 year high of $103.85. The company has a market cap of $8.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.32, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60.

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

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.46%.

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.