Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS Shares Purchased by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC raised its holdings in shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 41.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,747 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,635 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Axis Capital were worth $2,179,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 94.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 145.1% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 581 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 21.6% during the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Axis Capital Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:AXS opened at $107.14 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $8.25 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50 day moving average is $98.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $83.90 and a 52 week high of $108.12.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.53. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 18.99%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 14.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AXS. Mizuho started coverage on Axis Capital in a research note on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $104.00 target price for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.67.

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.