AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $97.85 and last traded at $97.18, with a volume of 16930 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $96.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXS has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $99.88.

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AXIS Capital Trading Down 2.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a PE ratio of 7.51, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.95. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $90.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.72.

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

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is 14.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,959.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AXS. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in AXIS Capital by 1,870.8% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 58,376 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,647,000 after purchasing an additional 55,414 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $99,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in AXIS Capital in the third quarter valued at $247,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital during the third quarter valued at about $507,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394,491 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $111,015,000 after purchasing an additional 33,241 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company's stock.

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.