2,667 Shares in Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS Purchased by Transcend Capital Advisors LLC

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,667 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in Axis Capital by 68.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 370,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,094,000 after purchasing an additional 150,652 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Axis Capital by 14.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter valued at $321,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Axis Capital by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 305,752 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,649,000 after purchasing an additional 20,159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $620,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AXS. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Axis Capital in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Axis Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 target price on Axis Capital and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Axis Capital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.29.

Axis Capital Stock Up 5.9%

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $93.46 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $95.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $7.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.72, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.73. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $77.21 and a 12-month high of $107.19.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $184.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 16.08%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 16.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.67, for a total transaction of $345,345.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 47,295 shares in the company, valued at $4,666,597.65. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel J. Draper sold 4,305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.57, for a total value of $420,038.85. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,269 shares in the company, valued at $1,587,366.33. This trade represents a 20.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 12,205 shares of company stock worth $1,188,048 over the last 90 days. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.