Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Reduces Position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund trimmed its position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 22.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 19,000 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.09% of Axis Capital worth $6,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AXS. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 80.8% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 396 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total value of $250,869.98. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 46,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Axis Capital Stock Down 11.1%

AXS opened at $106.03 on Thursday. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $119.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $106.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a PE ratio of 7.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.49.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.25 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Axis Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.11%.

Key Headlines Impacting Axis Capital

Here are the key news stories impacting Axis Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Net income available to common shareholders rose 16% year over year to $251 million, or $3.38 per diluted share. Gross premiums written increased 6% to $2.7 billion, led by 15% growth in insurance premiums. Book value per diluted share also increased 14.7% year over year to $80.67. AXIS Capital second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Management signaled expectations for approximately $17 million in full-year ACS fee income and indicated that share repurchases should continue during the second half of 2026, potentially supporting per-share value. AXIS ACS fee income and buybacks
• Neutral Sentiment: AXIS appointed Rahil Jogani to a newly created role overseeing technology and artificial-intelligence strategy. The move may improve operational efficiency over time, but its near-term financial effect is unclear. AXIS appoints technology and AI strategy head
• Negative Sentiment: Operating income was $211 million, or $2.84 per share, below analyst expectations of roughly $3.23–$3.25. The consolidated combined ratio deteriorated to 93.1% from 85.3% a year earlier, while catastrophe and weather-related losses reached $80 million, or 5.3 loss-ratio points. Weaker underwriting, lower investment income and the earnings miss outweighed the reported net-income growth. AXIS Capital second-quarter earnings miss

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Axis Capital from $129.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $126.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Atlantic Securities set a $122.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.08.

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.

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