Analysts Set Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Target Price at $107.75

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $107.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Axis Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Axis Capital from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Axis Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

NYSE AXS opened at $98.24 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business’s 50 day moving average is $101.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.75, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.81. Axis Capital has a 12-month low of $68.56 and a 12-month high of $107.19.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Axis Capital’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Axis Capital will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axis Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXS. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the first quarter worth $33,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Axis Capital by 1,542.9% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Axis Capital by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Axis Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

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.