Marshall Wace LLP Grows Holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 3,139.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 133,013 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 128,907 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.16% of AXIS Capital worth $11,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AXS. StockNews.com upgraded AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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 dropped their price target on AXIS Capital from $120.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of AXIS Capital stock traded down $0.76 on Friday, reaching $94.88. The company had a trading volume of 593,511 shares, compared to its average volume of 601,940. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1 year low of $60.64 and a 1 year high of $101.42. The firm has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $94.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.93.

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, 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, research analysts predict that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is 14.25%.

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.