Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Boosts Holdings in Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 236,326 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 77,390 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Axis Capital were worth $22,640,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the third quarter worth $1,841,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC grew its position in Axis Capital by 63.2% during the third quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 352,050 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,726,000 after buying an additional 136,313 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Axis Capital by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Croban boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Croban now owns 10,249 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AXS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (down from $116.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Compass Point set a $121.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.90.

Axis Capital Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE AXS opened at $103.80 on Friday. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $83.90 and a 52-week high of $110.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.58, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $102.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.53. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.99% and a net margin of 16.08%.The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. Axis Capital’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.55%.

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.