5,690 Shares in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Purchased by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,690 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $453,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in AXIS Capital by 64.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,930 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 2,718 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted 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 valued at $20,265,000 after acquiring an additional 144,792 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 92.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 80,123 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $6,379,000 after acquiring an additional 38,577 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 28.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 31,144 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,479,000 after acquiring an additional 6,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,394 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,226,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

AXS traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $90.78. 460,468 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 570,931. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $85.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.90. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $53.49 and a 52-week high of $94.54. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.94. 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 (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on AXIS Capital from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $78.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $98.71.

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.