Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 197.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,542 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,298 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $2,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $88,175,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $88,147,000. FIL Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $43,893,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $37,775,000. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,118,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AXS. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the transaction, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AXIS Capital Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE AXS traded up $1.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $103.90. 640,228 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 593,723. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a PE ratio of 8.41, a P/E/G 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $97.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.44. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $68.02 and a 12-month high of $104.16.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors 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 1.69%. 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.