Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 1,166 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,182 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,166 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $2,143,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in AXIS Capital by 1,870.8% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 58,376 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,647,000 after buying an additional 55,414 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $99,000. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $247,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $507,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in AXIS Capital by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394,491 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $111,015,000 after buying an additional 33,241 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen increased their price objective on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

NYSE:AXS opened at $92.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $90.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of 7.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. 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 twelve month low of $60.45 and a twelve month high of $98.11.

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

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.