Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS Shares Purchased by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 10.6% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 224,164 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,512 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Axis Capital were worth $22,733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Globeflex Capital L P grew its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 53.1% in the 1st quarter. Globeflex Capital L P now owns 11,420 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,158,000 after acquiring an additional 3,962 shares during the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the first quarter valued at $330,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the first quarter valued at $43,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 8.9% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,682,238 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $373,412,000 after purchasing an additional 299,573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 1,153.7% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 31,743 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,219,000 after purchasing an additional 29,211 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of Axis Capital stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total transaction of $250,869.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 46,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. This trade represents a 5.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Axis Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter net income available to common shareholders increased 16% year over year to $251 million, or $3.38 per diluted share, compared with $216 million, or $2.72 per share, a year earlier. AXIS Capital second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: AXS posted a 93.1% combined ratio and $143 million of underwriting income, indicating profitable underwriting. Gross premiums written rose 6% to $2.7 billion, led by 15% growth in insurance premiums, while book value per diluted share climbed 14.7% from a year earlier to $80.67. AXIS Capital Q2 net income rises
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue increased 7.4% year over year to approximately $1.75 billion. This was above some published estimates of $1.74 billion, although other consensus measures characterized revenue as slightly below expectations. The mixed comparison limits the strength of the revenue-driven investment case. Axis Capital Q2 earnings snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Operating income was $211 million, or $2.84 per share, below analyst expectations of roughly $3.23–$3.25 and down from $3.29 per share a year ago. The earnings miss may temper optimism and suggests that favorable net-income growth did not fully translate into recurring operating earnings. Axis Capital misses Q2 earnings estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Reinsurance gross premiums written declined 25%, and management cited an evolving risk environment, including Middle East conflict and changing market conditions. Investors may watch whether these factors pressure future premium growth or underwriting margins.

Axis Capital Stock Up 1.8%

Axis Capital stock opened at $119.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a PE ratio of 8.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $105.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.14. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $119.99.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.25 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 16.00%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.29 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 13.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Axis Capital from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $126.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $129.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.45.

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.