Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys New Shares in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,595 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $319,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AXS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $88,175,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,147,000. FIL Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,893,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,775,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 7,053.2% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 353,941 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $31,366,000 after acquiring an additional 348,993 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of AXS stock traded down $3.51 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $100.54. 588,379 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 603,033. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $68.02 and a 12 month high of $107.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $98.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.24. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 8.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.83.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The firm 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 posted $3.07 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is 17.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AXS. UBS Group raised 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. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.75.

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.