LSV Asset Management Sells 4,800 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

LSV Asset Management lessened its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 629,800 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 4,800 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned 0.74% of AXIS Capital worth $34,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 2.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,632,025 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,587,000 after purchasing an additional 207,233 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 2.5% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,976,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $167,808,000 after acquiring an additional 72,913 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.9% during the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,776,551 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $100,144,000 after acquiring an additional 16,031 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 89.5% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,230,822 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $69,381,000 after acquiring an additional 581,409 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 942,121 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $53,107,000 after acquiring an additional 31,031 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE AXS opened at $65.39 on Monday. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $51.61 and a one year high of $66.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $62.84 and its 200-day moving average is $58.73.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The insurance provider reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.17. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.11% and a net margin of 10.34%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.33 EPS. AXIS Capital’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.91%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stanley A. Galanski bought 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $58.45 per share, with a total value of $409,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,763 shares in the company, valued at $570,647.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AXS shares. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.33.

About AXIS Capital

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.