Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires New Position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH invested approximately $6.70 million in Axis Capital Holdings, acquiring 66,823 shares, which represents about 0.08% ownership of the company.
• Axis Capital recently reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, surpassing estimates, and had a revenue of $1.52 billion, although below the analyst projections of $1.83 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 1.82% and a payout ratio of 17.46%.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 66,823 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,698,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.08% of Axis Capital at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Axis Capital by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 2,732 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 36.5% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 271,234 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $27,188,000 after buying an additional 72,500 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 1,542.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 575 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 0.4% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,359,471 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $136,273,000 after buying an additional 4,793 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 21.1% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 516,327 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,757,000 after buying an additional 90,069 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Axis Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Axis Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Axis Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $108.25.

Axis Capital Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:AXS traded down $3.38 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $93.75. 1,230,658 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 641,376. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $70.16 and a 1-year high of $107.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $100.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.47. The firm has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.81.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.90% and a net margin of 14.30%. Axis Capital's revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Axis Capital's payout ratio is currently 17.46%.

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.