Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS Shares Sold by UBS Group AG

UBS Group AG reduced its position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 222,291 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 9,235 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Axis Capital were worth $23,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Axis Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $67,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total value of $250,869.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 46,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho set a $137.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Axis Capital from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.10.

Axis Capital Price Performance

Axis Capital stock opened at $99.45 on Monday. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $110.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a PE ratio of 7.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.54.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.09. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 18.12%. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

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.