State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Has $2.25 Million Stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D decreased its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 537 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $2,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 424.6% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 11.6% in the third quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 3,290 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 71.6% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,265 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 7,205 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 32.9% in the third quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 37,887 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,875,000 after acquiring an additional 9,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Custom Index Systems LLC increased its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 71.4% in the third quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC now owns 14,696 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 6,120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $91.89 on Friday. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $60.06 and a 12-month high of $94.89. The stock has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 7.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50 day moving average of $89.85 and a 200-day moving average of $84.42. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.88.

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AXIS Capital 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.