HighTower Advisors LLC Has $758,000 Stock Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS – Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,558 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 534 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at about $88,175,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth $31,118,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 7,053.2% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 353,941 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,366,000 after acquiring an additional 348,993 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 254,551 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $20,265,000 after acquiring an additional 144,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 48.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 371,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,070,000 after purchasing an additional 121,437 shares during the period. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.50.

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Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In related 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 shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXS stock opened at $99.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $60.45 and a 12 month high of $101.42. The firm has a market cap of $8.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.06, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $93.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.74.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.25%.

About AXIS Capital

(Free Report)

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.