Sanctuary Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC trimmed its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,783 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 4,045 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.05% of AXIS Capital worth $4,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 7.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,675,417 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $134,110,000 after acquiring an additional 112,536 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,650,965 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $146,309,000 after acquiring an additional 25,908 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 2.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394,491 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $111,015,000 after acquiring an additional 33,241 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 3.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,267,338 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $100,921,000 after acquiring an additional 43,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 15.0% during the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 758,311 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $60,369,000 after acquiring an additional 99,119 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.8 %

AXS traded down $0.74 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $91.89. 761,810 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 677,777. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.95. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $60.06 and a 1-year high of $94.89. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $89.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.42. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is 14.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on AXS shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. UBS Group upped their target price on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $99.88.

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.