Alaska Permanent Fund Corp Has $3.12 Million Holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,424 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp owned approximately 0.07% of AXIS Capital worth $3,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,830 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $821,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 338,654 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $18,751,000 after buying an additional 4,087 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new stake in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth about $3,503,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 22,100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE AXS traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $62.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 483,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 638,173. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.44. The company has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.80. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $51.61 and a 52 week high of $65.86.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 6.67%. Research analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is currently 43.78%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Stanley A. Galanski acquired 7,000 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,647.35. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group lifted their price target on AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.33.

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.