3,353 Shares in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Purchased by Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,353 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $295,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 424.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $99,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE AXS opened at $90.37 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of 7.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $90.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.88. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $56.93 and a 52 week high of $94.89.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is 14.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on AXS. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.25.

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.