Janus Henderson Group PLC Acquires 20,976 Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS)

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,042,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 20,976 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 2.44% of AXIS Capital worth $181,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth $70,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 28.5% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 833 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,959.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.75.

AXIS Capital Trading Up 1.4%

AXS stock traded up $1.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $102.48. The stock had a trading volume of 517,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 595,749. The firm has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. AXIS Capital Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $68.02 and a 1-year high of $102.56. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $96.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.00.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. AXIS Capital's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.46%.

About AXIS Capital

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.