AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its stake in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,720 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 420 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 2.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,632,025 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,587,000 after acquiring an additional 207,233 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 2.5% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,976,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $167,808,000 after acquiring an additional 72,913 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.9% in the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,776,551 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $100,144,000 after acquiring an additional 16,031 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 89.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,230,822 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $69,381,000 after acquiring an additional 581,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 942,121 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,107,000 after acquiring an additional 31,031 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 1.1 %

AXS opened at $61.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $62.74 and its 200-day moving average is $58.47. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 52-week low of $51.61 and a 52-week high of $65.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.25) by $4.19. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 6.67% and a return on equity of 19.25%. Analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on AXS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stanley A. Galanski purchased 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 9,763 shares in the company, valued at $570,647.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.