Short Interest in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Increases By 49.1%

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,480,000 shares, a growth of 49.1% from the January 31st total of 992,500 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 633,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AXS. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

NYSE AXS traded down $2.45 on Tuesday, reaching $95.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,027,417 shares, compared to its average volume of 549,077. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $90.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.52. AXIS Capital has a 12 month low of $60.06 and a 12 month high of $98.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 7.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. As a group, equities analysts predict that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

AXIS Capital Company 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.