Trexquant Investment LP Purchases 16,757 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Trexquant Investment LP increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 77.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,526 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,757 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP's holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $3,414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth about $70,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AXS shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $120.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.75.

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Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This represents a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 1.6 %

AXS traded up $1.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $92.86. 501,019 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 605,791. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $93.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.07. 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 fifty-two week low of $60.45 and a fifty-two week high of $101.42. The stock has a market cap of $7.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67.

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 the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is 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.