Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 24,556 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 186,213 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,556 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.22% of AXIS Capital worth $16,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 79,653 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,059,000 after purchasing an additional 5,624 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 10,883 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $964,000 after buying an additional 2,021 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 4,030 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co. increased its holdings in AXIS Capital by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 7,989 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,078,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.75.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

NYSE:AXS traded up $0.57 on Tuesday, hitting $95.12. The stock had a trading volume of 99,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 603,417. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $94.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.24. The stock has a market cap of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $60.45 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.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current 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 $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.