JPMorgan Chase & Co. Acquires 4,303 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 133,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,303 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.16% of AXIS Capital worth $11,846,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AXIS Capital by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.4 %

AXS traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $94.60. The stock had a trading volume of 265,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 604,187. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $94.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $60.64 and a 1-year high of $101.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. As a group, research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is 14.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on AXS shares. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $120.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

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.