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

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.00.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Axis Capital from $124.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho set a $141.00 target price on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Friday, January 30th.

Axis Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $103.07 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $103.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.24. Axis Capital has a 12 month low of $84.81 and a 12 month high of $110.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.63.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. Axis Capital had a net margin of 15.37% and a return on equity of 18.90%. Axis Capital’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.38 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Axis Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is 14.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AXS. Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its position in Axis Capital by 63.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 352,050 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,726,000 after purchasing an additional 136,313 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,025,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 30.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 970,411 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $92,965,000 after purchasing an additional 225,569 shares during the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Axis Capital during the second quarter worth about $3,851,000. Finally, Villanova Investment Management Co LLC grew its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 116.5% during the second quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 44,775 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,649,000 after buying an additional 24,098 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.