Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS Holdings Decreased by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP trimmed its position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 75.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,214 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 119,454 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Axis Capital were worth $4,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Axis Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Axis Capital during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Axis Capital during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Axis Capital by 1,062.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 558 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Axis Capital Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of AXS stock opened at $94.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 1 year low of $88.07 and a 1 year high of $110.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $99.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.99 billion, a PE ratio of 7.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.54.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by $0.09. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 16.00%.The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 13.24 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is 13.11%.

Insider Transactions at Axis Capital

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total transaction of $250,869.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 46,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on AXS shares. Mizuho set a $137.00 price objective on Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Axis Capital from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.10.

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.