Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $124.00.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AXS shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $124.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Axis Capital from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Axis Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 94.0% in the second quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new position in Axis Capital during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Axis Capital during the second quarter worth $41,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axis Capital Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of AXS opened at $103.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.34, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $103.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.24. Axis Capital has a 12 month low of $84.81 and a 12 month high of $110.34.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 15.37%.The business’s revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.38 EPS. Analysts predict that Axis Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is 14.21%.

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.