10,333 Shares in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Bought by Croban

Croban bought a new stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 10,333 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,036,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $88,147,000. FIL Ltd purchased a new stake in Axis Capital during the fourth quarter worth $43,893,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Axis Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $37,775,000. Causeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Axis Capital by 79.1% in the fourth quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 728,331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $64,545,000 after buying an additional 321,608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Axis Capital during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,499,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

AXS traded up $2.69 on Monday, hitting $98.89. 697,392 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 713,141. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $70.16 and a 52 week high of $107.19. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $101.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.80.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.53. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.07 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Axis Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $108.25.

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.