Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Shares Sold by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. cut its stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 5.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,234,506 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 77,512 shares during the period. Axis Capital accounts for about 1.2% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 1.57% of Axis Capital worth $123,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $70,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axis Capital Stock Up 0.6%

AXS traded up $0.62 on Friday, reaching $102.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,555,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 613,553. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $8.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.83. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a fifty-two week low of $68.49 and a fifty-two week high of $107.19.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.53. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 14.54%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Axis Capital's payout ratio is 17.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AXS shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.75.

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.