Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $121.8889.

AXS has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Axis Capital from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Compass Point set a $121.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Monday, November 24th.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

Shares of Axis Capital stock opened at $100.25 on Friday. Axis Capital has a fifty-two week low of $84.81 and a fifty-two week high of $110.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $103.16 and a 200 day moving average of $98.59.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.72 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 18.99% and a net margin of 16.08%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Axis Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Axis Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axis Capital

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 26,541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,755,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. boosted its position in shares of Axis Capital by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 8,358 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $868,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co grew its stake in Axis Capital by 94.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.