AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,599,516 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 53,313 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.28% of AXIS Capital worth $762,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,178,512 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $281,680,000 after buying an additional 53,514 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in AXIS Capital by 7.2% during the 3rd 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 grew its holdings in AXIS Capital by 1.6% during the 4th 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. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $100,921,000 after purchasing an additional 43,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth $88,175,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded down $2.07 on Thursday, reaching $99.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 658,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 601,227. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $60.45 and a 52-week high of $101.42. The stock's 50-day moving average is $93.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.02, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on AXS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $100.50.

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.