Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 43,901 Shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited $AXS

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,954,373 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,901 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.10% of Axis Capital worth $762,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Axis Capital by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 0.5% during the second quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 26,541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,755,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 1.5% during the second quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 8,358 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $868,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co grew 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 purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Croban grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 1.5% in the third quarter. Croban now owns 10,249 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Axis Capital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised FY2026 guidance to $12.94 (from $12.85) and nudged up several 2026 quarterly estimates — modestly higher earnings visibility for the year supports a more constructive outlook. MarketBeat AXS
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks increased 2027 mid‑year/late‑year estimates: Q2 2027 to $3.43 (from $3.39), Q3 2027 to $3.61 (from $3.55) and Q4 2027 to $3.41 (from $3.35) — indicating stronger expected earnings later in the year. MarketBeat AXS
• Positive Sentiment: These upward revisions follow Axis’s Jan. 28 quarterly beat (EPS $3.25 vs. est. $2.97; revenue well above estimates), reinforcing analyst confidence in the company’s underwriting or investment performance. MarketBeat AXS
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut Q1 2027 EPS to $3.35 from $3.49 — a notable near‑term downgrade that could pressure the stock if the company signals softness or seasonality for the next quarter. MarketBeat AXS

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Axis Capital from $124.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.00.

Axis Capital Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE AXS opened at $104.96 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.09 billion, a PE ratio of 8.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $104.40 and its 200 day moving average is $99.74. Axis Capital Holdings Limited has a twelve month low of $84.81 and a twelve month high of $110.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

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

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

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

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.