Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $34.29.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AXTA. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a report on Friday, August 4th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Axalta Coating Systems from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on Axalta Coating Systems from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Axalta Coating Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd.

Axalta Coating Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AXTA opened at $30.81 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $27.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.46. Axalta Coating Systems has a 52-week low of $24.86 and a 52-week high of $33.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.43.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. Axalta Coating Systems had a return on equity of 20.98% and a net margin of 4.64%. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.39 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Axalta Coating Systems will post 1.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Axalta Coating Systems news, Director Robert M. Mclaughlin sold 5,000 shares of Axalta Coating Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.77, for a total value of $148,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 92,649 shares in the company, valued at $2,758,160.73. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Robert M. Mclaughlin sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.77, for a total value of $148,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 92,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,758,160.73. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Kevin M. Stein acquired 36,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $27.38 per share, for a total transaction of $1,002,108.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 36,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,002,108. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Axalta Coating Systems

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 124.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 599,695 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $16,132,000 after acquiring an additional 332,902 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association lifted its position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 11.8% in the third quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 15,580 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,645 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 87.9% during the third quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 15,479 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 7,241 shares during the period. Teza Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 60.9% during the third quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 48,216 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,297,000 after purchasing an additional 18,258 shares during the period. Finally, Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP grew its position in Axalta Coating Systems by 49.3% during the third quarter. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP now owns 2,952,198 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $79,414,000 after purchasing an additional 974,973 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.64% of the company’s stock.

Axalta Coating Systems Company Profile

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes high-performance coatings systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings. The company offers water and solvent-borne products and systems to repair damaged vehicles for independent body shops, multi-shop operators, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) dealership body shops.