Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Invests $452,000 in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,100 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $452,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AXS. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This represents a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXIS Capital stock traded down $0.04 on Thursday, hitting $94.87. 937,892 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 556,585. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $91.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.84. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $60.45 and a 1-year high of $98.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts predict that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is 14.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $100.25.

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.