AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Stock Position Trimmed by Paradice Investment Management LLC

Paradice Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 32.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 191,957 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 91,417 shares during the period. AXIS Capital makes up 3.4% of Paradice Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Paradice Investment Management LLC owned about 0.23% of AXIS Capital worth $17,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth $638,000. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth $453,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth $507,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.4% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,625,057 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $129,371,000 after acquiring an additional 318,784 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 0.8 %

AXS stock traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $91.89. 761,810 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 677,777. The company has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 7.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a twelve month low of $60.06 and a twelve month high of $94.89. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.42.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AXS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $99.88.

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.