Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases 16,298 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 197.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,542 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,298 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $2,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 53.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,964 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,898,000 after acquiring an additional 17,082 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,463 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,548,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,039 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $549,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

AXS stock traded up $1.40 on Friday, reaching $102.48. 517,235 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 595,449. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $68.02 and a 12 month high of $102.56. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $96.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of 8.30, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

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, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. AXIS Capital's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors 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 yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,786,435.50. The trade was a 47.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AXS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.