AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Bought by Alaska Permanent Fund Corp

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,424 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 891 shares during the quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $3,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AXS. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 1,787.0% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,302 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AXS traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $62.58. 483,402 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 638,173. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $51.61 and a 12 month high of $65.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.44. The company has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.25) by $4.19. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 6.67% and a return on equity of 19.25%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.39 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AXS shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Stanley A. Galanski bought 7,000 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,647.35. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.