36,175 Shares in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Bought by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 36,175 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,206,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth $88,175,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at $88,147,000. FIL Ltd purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth about $43,893,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,775,000. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth about $31,118,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $120.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,959.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. This trade represents a 47.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded down $0.30 during trading on Monday, reaching $99.59. 68,699 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 718,620. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $95.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.72. The firm has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $65.49 and a 12-month high of $101.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.53. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. AXIS Capital's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.25%.

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.