Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock: Insider Henry Smith Sells 4,893 Shares

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Director Henry Smith sold 4,893 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $519,391.95. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 41,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,400,342.10. This represents a 10.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

Shares of AXS stock traded up $1.77 during trading on Monday, reaching $106.64. The company had a trading volume of 852,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 659,988. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $101.99. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $92.23 and a one year high of $119.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 8.15, a PEG ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.38.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 14.62%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is presently 13.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 8.9% in the first 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 period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Axis Capital by 1.2% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,710,902 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $173,504,000 after acquiring an additional 21,001 shares during the period. Swedbank AB increased its position in Axis Capital by 14.0% during the first quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,362,091 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $138,130,000 after acquiring an additional 167,337 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Axis Capital by 2.2% during 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, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Axis Capital by 31.4% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 979,944 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $99,376,000 after purchasing an additional 234,353 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AXS. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Capital One Financial set a $108.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $131.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Axis Capital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Axis Capital has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.00.

Axis Capital Company Profile

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE: AXS) is a Bermuda-based specialty insurance and reinsurance company. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides coverage and risk-management solutions for businesses, institutions and other insurers facing complex or difficult-to-place risks.

AXIS offers a range of commercial property and casualty insurance products, including professional liability, cyber, marine, aviation, energy, environmental, political risk, credit and surety, and accident and health coverage.