Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Takes $2.51 Million Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 31,543 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,511,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 32.6% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 424.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth about $99,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 158.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 4.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded down $4.32 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $88.20. The stock had a trading volume of 661,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 572,751. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $53.49 and a one year high of $94.89. The company has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.23, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $85.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.40.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 10.82% and a return on equity of 19.24%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.34 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on AXS shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of AXIS Capital from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $78.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $98.71.

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.