Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Has $637,000 Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,189 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 961 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 48.6% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $638,000. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital during the third quarter worth approximately $453,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the third quarter worth approximately $507,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.4% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,625,057 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $129,371,000 after purchasing an additional 318,784 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

AXS stock opened at $94.75 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $90.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.66. The firm has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.67, a P/E/G 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 Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $60.06 and a 12 month high of $98.11.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. 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 1.86%. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at $224,786,435.50. This trade represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AXS. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began 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 for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.88.

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.