Key Points
- Director Henry Smith sold 2,542 shares of Axis Capital for about $250,870 at an average price of $98.69, trimming his holdings by 5.2% to 46,347 shares.
- Axis Capital shares were essentially flat after the disclosure, opening at $99.45, while the stock remains below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
- The company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates with $3.42 per share, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $122.10.
Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) Director Henry Smith sold 2,542 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total transaction of $250,869.98. Following the sale, the director directly owned 46,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Axis Capital Stock Up 0.1%
Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $99.45 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.47. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $110.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a PE ratio of 7.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.54.
Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.33 by $0.09. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Axis Capital Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital's payout ratio is 13.11%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts recently issued reports on AXS shares. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America cut their price target on Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Axis Capital from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.10.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on AXS
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AXS. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Axis Capital in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Axis Capital by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,682,238 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $373,412,000 after acquiring an additional 299,573 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Axis Capital by 1,153.7% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 31,743 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,219,000 after acquiring an additional 29,211 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,071,887 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $108,700,000 after purchasing an additional 23,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 4,278 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.
About Axis Capital
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Read More
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].