Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Acquires New Holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,086,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 32,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,591,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,542,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position 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 worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,931 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,799 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. TD Cowen raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AXS opened at $93.66 on Monday. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $60.45 and a one year high of $98.11. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $91.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share 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%. Analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.