Cerity Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 61.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,236 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,892 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.06% of AXIS Capital worth $4,158,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 55.6% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 462 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in AXIS Capital by 80.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 507 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its position 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. boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 424.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth approximately $99,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 0.9 %

AXS traded down $0.81 during trading on Friday, reaching $93.04. The stock had a trading volume of 511,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 571,403. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $53.49 and a one year high of $94.39. The company has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock's 50 day moving average is $82.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.60.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 10.82% and a return on equity of 19.24%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.34 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.89 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on AXS. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $97.14.

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.