KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires Shares of 27,400 AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 27,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,440,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,175,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $31,118,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 7,053.2% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 353,941 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $31,366,000 after purchasing an additional 348,993 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in AXIS Capital by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 254,551 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,265,000 after buying an additional 144,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in AXIS Capital by 48.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 371,557 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $30,070,000 after buying an additional 121,437 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at $224,786,435.50. The trade was a 47.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of AXIS Capital stock traded up $0.15 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $100.39. 927,367 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 602,872. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $93.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.24. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $60.45 and a 52-week high of $101.42. 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 (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $100.50.

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.