Versant Capital Management Inc Boosts Holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 24.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 130 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $59,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 8,717.0% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,361,250 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $96,172,000 after acquiring an additional 1,345,811 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.4% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,625,057 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $129,371,000 after purchasing an additional 318,784 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in AXIS Capital by 1,644.8% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 240,754 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,009,000 after purchasing an additional 226,956 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 9.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,583,700 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $182,538,000 after purchasing an additional 213,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 12.5% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,417,464 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $100,144,000 after buying an additional 157,110 shares during the period. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

AXS stock opened at $88.73 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $87.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.01. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $53.88 and a 12-month high of $94.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.16. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.57 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is 24.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of AXIS Capital from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on AXIS Capital from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.71.

AXIS Capital 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.