AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Sold by Gabelli Funds LLC

Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 26.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,950 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 6,950 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $1,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AXS. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 46.9% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 117,700 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $10,431,000 after purchasing an additional 37,577 shares in the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 79.1% in the fourth quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 728,331 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $64,545,000 after buying an additional 321,608 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 7,184 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 670 shares during the period. Mariner LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 17,163 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,521,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 22,184 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,966,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on AXS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.75.

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,786,435.50. The trade was a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 0.0 %

AXS stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $95.06. 172,162 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 599,910. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $60.64 and a 52 week high of $101.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $94.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.82.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.25%.

About AXIS Capital

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.