AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Acquired by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,178,512 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,514 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in AXIS Capital were worth $281,680,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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 sale, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at $224,786,435.50. This trade represents a 47.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

NYSE:AXS opened at $95.00 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.69, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a one year low of $60.45 and a one year high of $98.11. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $91.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.00. 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 (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 net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. Analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 14.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on AXS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Three equities 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.25.

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.