Zacks Research Has Positive View of Axis Capital Q1 Earnings

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) – Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Axis Capital in a report released on Monday, October 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will earn $3.09 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $3.02. The consensus estimate for Axis Capital’s current full-year earnings is $11.19 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Axis Capital’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.92 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.31 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $3.65 EPS.

AXS has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Axis Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 target price on Axis Capital and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group increased their target price on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.14.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

AXS opened at $96.99 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a PE ratio of 9.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $96.46 and a 200-day moving average of $98.02. Axis Capital has a 52-week low of $77.21 and a 52-week high of $107.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.69.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.77% and a net margin of 14.30%.The firm’s revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.93 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 94.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 1,542.9% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.67, for a total transaction of $345,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 47,295 shares in the company, valued at $4,666,597.65. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel J. Draper sold 4,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.57, for a total value of $420,038.85. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,587,366.33. This trade represents a 20.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,205 shares of company stock valued at $1,188,048 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.92%.

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.