American Century Companies Inc. Grows Stock Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,178,512 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 53,514 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 3.80% of AXIS Capital worth $281,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $212,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,785 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,542,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 8.4% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 300,726 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $23,941,000 after buying an additional 23,377 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,259 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE AXS traded up $0.88 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $99.51. 1,202,168 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 568,880. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $60.45 and a one year high of $100.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $92.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.50. The company has a market cap of $8.04 billion, a PE ratio of 8.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91.

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

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,959.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,786,435.50. This trade represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXS has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $100.25.

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.