AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,354,678 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 39,813 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 1.62% of AXIS Capital worth $120,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of AXIS Capital 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of AXS stock opened at $94.75 on Thursday. 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 52 week low of $60.06 and a 52 week high of $98.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 7.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $90.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.66.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. On average, research analysts predict that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.25%.

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.