Q1 EPS Estimates for Axis Capital Raised by Zacks Research

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Axis Capital in a report issued on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will post earnings per share of $3.07 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $3.06. 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 Q2 2026 earnings at $3.13 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.30 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.43 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $12.94 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $3.43 EPS.

AXS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $124.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Axis Capital from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axis Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.00.

Axis Capital Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $103.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.63. Axis Capital has a 1 year low of $84.81 and a 1 year 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’s 50-day moving average is $104.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.58.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.38 EPS. Axis Capital’s revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 14.21%.

Institutional Trading of Axis Capital

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AXS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,954,373 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $762,029,000 after purchasing an additional 43,901 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Axis Capital by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,592,270 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $491,786,000 after buying an additional 1,083,579 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Axis Capital by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,382,665 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $362,263,000 after buying an additional 63,751 shares during the last quarter. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 47.7% in the second quarter. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,817,204 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $188,662,000 after acquiring an additional 586,576 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Axis Capital by 1.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,631,198 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $170,069,000 after acquiring an additional 15,755 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

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.