Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 31,650 Shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS

Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its stake in shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 10.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 264,646 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 31,650 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 0.34% of Axis Capital worth $25,046,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 94.0% in the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Axis Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of AXS opened at $100.62 on Friday. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $84.81 and a 1-year high of $110.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $103.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.12, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.61.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.28. Axis Capital had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 18.72%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 earnings per share. Axis Capital’s revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AXS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho set a $141.00 price target on Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Axis Capital from $121.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.00.

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.