Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys 10,619 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 118,169 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,619 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $10,472,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in AXIS Capital by 48.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 371,557 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,070,000 after buying an additional 121,437 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth about $638,000. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth about $453,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AXIS Capital by 3.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,267,338 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $100,921,000 after buying an additional 43,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC bought a new position in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $300,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:AXS opened at $95.00 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $91.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.06. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $60.45 and a 52 week high of $98.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.69, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. The trade was a 47.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AXS shares. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.25.

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.