HighTower Advisors LLC Takes $638,000 Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 8,024 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $638,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 324.3% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,554 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 1,952 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 758,311 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $60,369,000 after acquiring an additional 99,119 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth $2,044,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the third quarter worth $453,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 2.8 %

AXS traded up $2.42 on Friday, reaching $90.03. 1,117,226 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 576,278. The company has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $86.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.53. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $53.49 and a 52-week high of $94.89.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.16. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AXS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price target on AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of AXIS Capital from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $78.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $98.71.

AXIS Capital 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.