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

Shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $120.50.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Axis Capital from $142.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $131.00 to $126.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Axis Capital from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Institutional Trading of Axis Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Axis Capital by 5.0% during the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in Axis Capital by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 4,597 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Axis Capital by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 5,390 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in Axis Capital by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 37,119 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,975,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Axis Capital by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 2,827 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

AXS opened at $101.60 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $107.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.50. Axis Capital has a 12-month low of $88.07 and a 12-month high of $119.99.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.25 by ($0.41). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 17.00% and a net margin of 16.23%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.29 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Axis Capital will post 12.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were 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 was Tuesday, June 30th. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is currently 12.50%.

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.