Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $8.62 Million Stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 65.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 90,005 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,641 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.12% of Axis Capital worth $8,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in Axis Capital by 94.0% in the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the second quarter worth $37,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the second quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 145.1% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 581 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on AXS shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Axis Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (down previously from $116.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Axis Capital from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.89.

Axis Capital Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Axis Capital stock opened at $101.99 on Monday. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 12-month low of $84.81 and a 12-month high of $110.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $103.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.43, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.65.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.53. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 18.99%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is currently 14.55%.

Axis Capital Company 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.