AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Holdings Lifted by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,507 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $311,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Gries Financial LLC boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 3,815 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,118,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 81,770 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,246,000 after purchasing an additional 23,394 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $82,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 74.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,668 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 1,567 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of AXIS Capital stock opened at $90.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1 year low of $55.56 and a 1 year high of $94.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $90.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.50. The company has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.95.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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, analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 14.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.