AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Director Stanley A. Galanski Acquires 2,000 Shares

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Director Stanley A. Galanski purchased 2,000 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.43 per share, with a total value of $142,860.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $840,231.09. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

AXIS Capital stock traded up $2.02 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $72.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 641,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 638,091. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $65.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.80. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $51.61 and a 12 month high of $72.89.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The insurance provider reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.11% and a net margin of 10.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.33 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 45.9% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 588 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

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.