Sei Investments Co. Increases Holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 487,086 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 47,119 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.58% of AXIS Capital worth $43,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth $88,175,000. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $31,118,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 7,053.2% during the fourth 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 raised 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 valued at $20,265,000 after purchasing an additional 144,792 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 121,437 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.1 %

AXS traded down $0.07 on Friday, hitting $99.57. The company had a trading volume of 800,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 600,524. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $60.45 and a 12-month high of $101.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $93.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.74. The company has a market cap of $8.04 billion, a PE ratio of 8.06, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91.

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 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%. Equities research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AXS. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.