Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Has $1.11 Million Stock Position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 59.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,705 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,011 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Axis Capital were worth $1,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AXS. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Axis Capital by 68.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 370,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,094,000 after purchasing an additional 150,652 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Axis Capital by 14.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $186,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Axis Capital in the second quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the first quarter worth $620,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 7.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 305,752 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,649,000 after purchasing an additional 20,159 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AXS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Axis Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axis Capital

In related news, insider Daniel J. Draper sold 4,305 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.57, for a total transaction of $420,038.85. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,587,366.33. This represents a 20.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Henry B. Smith sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.67, for a total value of $345,345.00. Following the sale, the director owned 47,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,666,597.65. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,205 shares of company stock worth $1,188,048 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $97.47 on Tuesday. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $77.21 and a 52-week high of $107.19. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $96.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $7.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.37, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.73.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.41. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 14.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.93 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is presently 16.92%.

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.