Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Has $3.91 Million Holdings in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its position in AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 94.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 70,672 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,351 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.08% of AXIS Capital worth $3,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 447.2% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 487 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 177.9% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 842 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Stanley A. Galanski acquired 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $58.45 per share, for a total transaction of $409,150.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,647.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AXS opened at $62.47 on Friday. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $51.61 and a fifty-two week high of $65.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.62 and a 200-day moving average of $58.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $5.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.80.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $2.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.25) by $4.19. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 6.67%. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital Holdings Limited will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is currently 43.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AXS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered AXIS Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on AXIS Capital from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on AXIS Capital from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.33.

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.