Paradice Investment Management LLC Lowers Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Paradice Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 32.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 191,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 91,417 shares during the period. AXIS Capital makes up 3.4% of Paradice Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Paradice Investment Management LLC owned about 0.23% of AXIS Capital worth $17,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AXS. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at about $82,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 424.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXS stock opened at $89.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.95. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $60.06 and a fifty-two week high of $94.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $89.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.04. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.36 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given 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 1.96%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.25%.

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AXS. TD Cowen raised their price objective on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com upgraded AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Company 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.