Seizert Capital Partners LLC Invests $1.78 Million in Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS

Seizert Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 17,157 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,781,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AXS. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 68.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 370,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,094,000 after acquiring an additional 150,652 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Axis Capital by 7.1% during 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 during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in Axis Capital during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $321,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the 1st quarter worth approximately $620,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 9.7% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 31,755 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,820 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 3,500 shares of Axis Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.67, for a total value of $345,345.00. Following the sale, the director owned 47,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,666,597.65. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on AXS. Wall Street Zen lowered Axis Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $125.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $104.00 target price for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Axis Capital presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.00.

Axis Capital Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Axis Capital stock opened at $100.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.73. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 1 year low of $83.90 and a 1 year high of $107.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $95.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.12.

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

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.55%.

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.