Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Takes Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,288 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $459,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE grew its position in AXIS Capital by 447.2% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 487 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 177.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 842 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

NYSE AXS opened at $61.25 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The business’s fifty day moving average is $62.48 and its 200 day moving average is $58.23. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.86.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.25) by $4.19. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 6.67%. Sell-side analysts predict that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is 43.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AXS. StockNews.com cut AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.33.

Insider Activity

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Stanley A. Galanski acquired 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,647.35. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% 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.