Hancock Whitney Corp Sells 544 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Hancock Whitney Corp lessened its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 24,554 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 544 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $1,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AXS. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its holdings in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 32,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 12.5% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 87,011 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,927,000 after purchasing an additional 9,693 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 61.5% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 52,236 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,158,000 after purchasing an additional 19,892 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.2% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter valued at approximately $235,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE AXS opened at $91.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $81.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.90. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $53.49 and a 52-week high of $91.43.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 10.82% and a return on equity of 19.24%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.34 EPS. Analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.89 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on AXS. Bank of America lifted their target price on AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $118.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.86.

About AXIS Capital

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.