Swedbank AB Invests $31.12 Million in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 351,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $31,118,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 32,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,542,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in AXIS Capital by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 32.6% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.1% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,394 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,226,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AXS opened at $92.74 on Friday. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $55.56 and a 12 month high of $94.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.86, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.95.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. Analysts expect that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.89 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on AXIS Capital from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Two equities 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, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.25.

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.