SYM FINANCIAL Corp Invests $260,000 in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,598 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $260,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Axis Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,698,000. Choreo LLC increased its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 10.3% in the first quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 2,732 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in Axis Capital by 36.5% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 271,234 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $27,188,000 after purchasing an additional 72,500 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Axis Capital by 1,542.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 575 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Axis Capital by 0.4% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,359,471 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,273,000 after buying an additional 4,793 shares during the period. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded up $0.98 during trading on Friday, reaching $96.91. 415,425 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 676,233. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $100.82 and a 200-day moving average of $96.33. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $70.16 and a 12 month high of $107.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.81.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 14.54%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Axis Capital's payout ratio is 17.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AXS. Wall Street Zen raised Axis Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. UBS Group upped their price target on Axis Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $108.25.

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.