AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Acquired by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 28.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,144 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,944 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $2,479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 80.4% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 507 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its stake in AXIS Capital by 32.6% in the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 424.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the third quarter worth $99,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at about $190,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on AXS. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on AXIS Capital from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $97.14.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 1.3 %

AXIS Capital stock traded down $1.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $92.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 479,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 466,578. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1 year low of $53.49 and a 1 year high of $94.54. The stock's fifty day moving average is $84.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.87, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.16. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 10.82% and a return on equity of 19.24%. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.34 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.83 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.41%.

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.