Swiss National Bank Has $15.44 Million Stock Holdings in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Swiss National Bank trimmed its position in shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 154,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 3,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.20% of Axis Capital worth $15,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the first quarter worth about $33,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 1,542.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 575 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 36.9% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,184 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 34.3% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,628 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $163,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 14.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AXS shares. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Axis Capital from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Axis Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $119.00 price objective (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.43.

Axis Capital Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE AXS opened at $98.20 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $7.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.83. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 52 week low of $73.53 and a 52 week high of $107.19. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $99.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 14.30%. Axis Capital's quarterly revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital's payout ratio is presently 16.92%.

Axis Capital 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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