Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,830 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 241 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 1,787.0% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,302 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

NYSE:AXS opened at $61.90 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $62.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.49. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.24 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.25) by $4.19. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 6.67%. As a group, research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is 43.78%.

Insider Activity

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Stanley A. Galanski acquired 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $58.45 per share, with a total value of $409,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,763 shares in the company, valued at $570,647.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AXS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com cut AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.33.

AXIS Capital Company 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.