Gotham Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 300.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,564 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 52,171 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned about 0.08% of AXIS Capital worth $6,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 53.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,964 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,898,000 after acquiring an additional 17,082 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,463 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,548,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,039 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $549,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded up $1.40 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $102.48. 517,235 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 595,449. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $68.02 and a 12 month high of $102.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $96.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.92.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Wednesday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $107.75.

AXIS Capital Company 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.