AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Acquired by Villanova Investment Management Co LLC

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC increased its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 72,486 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,997 shares during the period. AXIS Capital accounts for 5.7% of Villanova Investment Management Co LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC owned 0.09% of AXIS Capital worth $6,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trexquant Investment LP lifted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 77.0% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 38,526 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,414,000 after buying an additional 16,757 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 719.8% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,569 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,734,000 after acquiring an additional 17,182 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 357,074 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,644,000 after acquiring an additional 6,017 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 329,532 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,108,000 after acquiring an additional 13,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intrust Bank NA grew its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 5,872 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $520,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXS stock opened at $100.42 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $93.20 and its 200-day moving average is $88.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current 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 has a market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a PE ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.75%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.