Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS Shares Sold by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 24.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,363 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 30,554 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Axis Capital worth $9,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 94.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 145.1% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 581 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

Shares of Axis Capital stock opened at $104.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $103.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $8.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.65. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a 1 year low of $84.81 and a 1 year high of $110.34.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Axis Capital had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 18.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.38 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Axis Capital Holdings Limited will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.21%.

Key Stories Impacting Axis Capital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat analysts on both EPS and revenue — Axis reported operating income of $3.25/share (vs. $2.97 consensus), GAAP net income of $3.67/share, and revenue of $1.73B (up ~17.8% YoY). Strong margins and ROE were highlighted, supporting the stock’s upside following the print. AXIS Capital Reports Fourth Quarter Net Income
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional/market positioning improved as short interest fell ~22% in January, lowering potential short-covering risk and reducing downside pressure from shorts. (Shorts now ~0.8% of float; ~1.0 days to cover.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company provided the earnings presentation and full call transcript, giving investors additional disclosure on underwriting trends, investment results and capital deployment — useful for assessing whether the quarter reflects one-time items or sustainable improvement. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Q4 Results Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets summarize and analyze the quarter (snapshots and metric comparisons), which help translate reported figures into forward expectations but don’t materially change the headline beat. Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America cut its price target from $119 to $115 and kept a neutral rating — a modest analyst trim that reduces near-term upside from that shop and signals some caution despite the beat. BofA Lowers Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and coverage noted higher expenses in the quarter; while EPS still beat, rising costs could pressure future earnings if they persist or if growth moderates. Earnings Growth Despite Higher Expenses

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on AXS. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Compass Point set a $121.00 target price on Axis Capital in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.70.

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.