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

Shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $124.00.

AXS has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Axis Capital from $124.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $141.00 price target on Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, February 2nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXS. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in Axis Capital in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Axis Capital Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE AXS opened at $101.37 on Wednesday. Axis Capital has a 12 month low of $84.81 and a 12 month high of $110.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.18, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50-day moving average of $102.73 and a 200-day moving average of $100.58.

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

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

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

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.