Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS is Villanova Investment Management Co LLC's Largest Position

Key Points

• Villanova Investment Management Co LLC significantly reduced its stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited by selling 51,809 shares, resulting in a remaining ownership of 20,677 shares, which constitutes 5.8% of its holdings.
• Several institutional investors, such as Price T Rowe Associates Inc. and GAMMA Investing LLC, have increased their positions in Axis Capital, reflecting strong interest from the investment community.
• Axis Capital's stock received mixed ratings from analysts, with six firms rating it as a "buy" and three as a "hold," while the current average target price is set at $111.43.

Villanova Investment Management Co LLC trimmed its position in shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 71.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,677 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 51,809 shares during the period. Axis Capital makes up approximately 5.8% of Villanova Investment Management Co LLC's holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC's holdings in Axis Capital were worth $2,073,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Axis Capital by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 9,611 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 2,681 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,070 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Axis Capital by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,369 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Axis Capital by 49.9% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 7,332 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 2,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Axis Capital by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,765 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axis Capital Trading Down 0.2%

AXS traded down $0.16 on Friday, hitting $99.14. 573,021 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 522,276. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.69. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 12 month low of $76.46 and a 12 month high of $107.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.75 billion, a PE ratio of 9.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.77.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 14.30%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axis Capital

In related news, insider Daniel J. Draper sold 4,305 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.57, for a total transaction of $420,038.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,587,366.33. This trade represents a 20.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Henry B. Smith sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.67, for a total value of $345,345.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 47,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,666,597.65. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,205 shares of company stock worth $1,188,048 over the last quarter. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Axis Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Axis Capital from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $119.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, August 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $111.43.

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.