Marshall Wace LLP Buys 128,907 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 3,139.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 133,013 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 128,907 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.16% of AXIS Capital worth $11,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AXS. Zacks Investment Management raised its position in AXIS Capital by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 18,961 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,680,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AXIS Capital by 210.3% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,008 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $710,000 after purchasing an additional 5,427 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 148,650 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $13,173,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 46.9% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 117,700 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $10,431,000 after purchasing an additional 37,577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Causeway Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 79.1% in the 4th quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 728,331 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $64,545,000 after acquiring an additional 321,608 shares during the period. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

NYSE AXS traded down $0.76 during trading on Friday, reaching $94.88. 593,511 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 602,594. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $94.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.17. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $60.85 and a fifty-two week high of $101.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.68, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. 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, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. Sell-side analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is 14.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXS has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.