AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Acquired by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $1,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 833 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth $82,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 424.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

NYSE AXS opened at $95.00 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.95. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $60.06 and a 12-month high of $95.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $89.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.89.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.25%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $406,613,715. This represents a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AXS. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.88.

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.