F M Investments LLC Takes $271,000 Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

F M Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,062 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $271,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 48.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 371,557 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $30,070,000 after acquiring an additional 121,437 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the third quarter valued at $638,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,267,338 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $100,921,000 after acquiring an additional 43,687 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth about $300,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $549,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXIS Capital stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $94.62. The stock had a trading volume of 617,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 605,033. The business has a fifty day moving average of $94.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.28. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $60.45 and a fifty-two week high of $101.42. The firm has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.66, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

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AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on AXS. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on AXIS Capital from $120.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.75.

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.