AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $100.71.

Several analysts have issued reports on AXS shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $78.00 to $89.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of AXIS Capital stock opened at $85.59 on Monday. AXIS Capital has a twelve month low of $53.88 and a twelve month high of $94.89. The stock has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $88.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.57.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.34 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital will post 10.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 424.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the third quarter valued at about $99,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

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.