Zacks Research Increases Earnings Estimates for Axis Capital

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Axis Capital in a report released on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the insurance provider will earn $3.06 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.93. 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 Q1 2027 earnings at $3.49 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.55 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.35 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $13.79 EPS.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.28. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.90% and a net margin of 15.37%.The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.38 earnings per share. Axis Capital’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on AXS. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Axis Capital from $121.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho set a $141.00 target price on Axis Capital in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Axis Capital from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.00.

Axis Capital Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of AXS opened at $101.75 on Friday. Axis Capital has a fifty-two week low of $84.81 and a fifty-two week high of $110.34. The firm has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.21, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $104.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given 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 was Wednesday, December 31st. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is presently 14.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $33,726,000 after acquiring an additional 136,313 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 0.5% during the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,222,932 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $117,157,000 after purchasing an additional 6,571 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the second quarter valued at approximately $55,025,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 30.3% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 970,411 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $92,965,000 after purchasing an additional 225,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,851,000. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Axis Capital

Here are the key news stories impacting Axis Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised multiple near‑term and full‑year forecasts: Q1 2026 to $3.06 (from $2.93), Q1 2027 to $3.49 (from $3.18), Q2 2026 to $3.09, Q3 2026 to $3.29, Q4 2026 to $3.41, FY2026 to $12.85 (from $12.65), FY2027 to $13.79 (from $13.70) and FY2028 to $15.01. These upward revisions suggest Zacks sees stronger underwriting/investment momentum and support a more constructive outlook for AXS. Zacks Research Estimate Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a broad refresh of quarterly models across 2026–2028 (a mixture of small tweaks and new longer‑range forecasts). Some moves appear to be model updates rather than a clear directional signal — watch for company commentary or actual quarterly results to confirm the trend. Zacks Research Estimate Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut longer‑dated quarterly estimates: Q4 2027 was lowered materially to $3.35 (from $3.85) and Q3 2027 trimmed to $3.55 (from $3.60). The Q4 2027 reduction is the clearest headwind in this package and could weigh on near‑term investor sentiment until company results or reserve commentary clarify drivers. Zacks Research Estimate Changes

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.