AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Receives $107.75 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $107.75.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AXS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $99.88 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $95.73 and a 200-day moving average of $91.58. AXIS Capital has a 12 month low of $68.02 and a 12 month high of $102.36. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a PE ratio of 8.09, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is currently 17.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 53.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,964 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,898,000 after acquiring an additional 17,082 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,463 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,548,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,039 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth $549,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.