AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Holdings Lifted by Causeway Capital Management LLC

Causeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 79.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 728,331 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 321,608 shares during the quarter. AXIS Capital comprises approximately 1.5% of Causeway Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Causeway Capital Management LLC owned 0.87% of AXIS Capital worth $64,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in AXIS Capital by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 371,557 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $30,070,000 after buying an additional 121,437 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $638,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,267,338 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $100,921,000 after buying an additional 43,687 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth $300,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at about $549,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.75.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXIS Capital stock traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $94.60. 265,048 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 604,725. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $60.64 and a fifty-two week high of $101.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $94.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

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 net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. On average, equities analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.