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

Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $122.10.

Several brokerages recently commented on AXS. Mizuho set a $137.00 price target on Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Axis Capital from $115.00 to $106.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Axis Capital from $130.00 to $126.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Friday, January 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Axis Capital news, Director Henry B. Smith sold 2,542 shares of Axis Capital stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.69, for a total transaction of $250,869.98. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 46,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,573,985.43. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Axis Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 80.8% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 396 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Axis Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Axis Capital during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AXS opened at $95.63 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $100.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.09. Axis Capital has a 52 week low of $88.07 and a 52 week high of $110.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.05 billion, a PE ratio of 7.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.54.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.09. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.12% and a net margin of 16.00%.The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Axis Capital will post 13.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital’s payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

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.