Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS Shares Sold by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 61.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,759 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 60,437 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Axis Capital worth $3,557,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AXS. Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in Axis Capital by 31.4% in the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 53,905 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,467,000 after acquiring an additional 12,896 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Axis Capital by 1,102.3% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 65,575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,636,000 after purchasing an additional 60,121 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Axis Capital by 25.7% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 92,474 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,378,000 after purchasing an additional 18,934 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in Axis Capital by 160.4% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 83,126 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,430,000 after purchasing an additional 51,201 shares during the period. Finally, Capula Management Ltd bought a new position in Axis Capital during the first quarter worth about $3,010,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXS stock opened at $107.89 on Wednesday. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $93.02 and a 52 week high of $119.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.43, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $99.80 and its 200-day moving average is $102.19.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 14.62%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 12.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axis Capital

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry Smith sold 4,893 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $519,391.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 41,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,400,342.10. The trade was a 10.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Atlantic Securities set a $122.00 price objective on Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho set a $123.00 target price on Axis Capital in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Axis Capital from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $115.00 price target on Axis Capital in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Axis Capital has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.00.

Axis Capital Profile

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited is a global specialty insurer and reinsurer headquartered in Bermuda. Founded in 2001, the company serves businesses and other clients through insurance and reinsurance operations. Its insurance offerings include coverage for property and casualty risks, professional liability, cyber, marine, aviation, energy, and accident and health. Its reinsurance business provides protection to other insurers across property, casualty, and specialty lines. AXIS operates in markets around the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.