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

Shares of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $124.00.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AXS. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Axis Capital from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Axis Capital from $121.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Thursday, January 29th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axis Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Axis Capital by 1,024.5% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,608 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 1,465 shares during the last quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC increased its stake in Axis Capital by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Villanova Investment Management Co LLC now owns 46,710 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,002,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its stake in Axis Capital by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 3,930 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Axis Capital during the 4th quarter worth $224,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Axis Capital by 43.4% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 86,024 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,212,000 after buying an additional 26,018 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

Axis Capital Stock Performance

NYSE AXS opened at $100.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Axis Capital has a 1-year low of $84.81 and a 1-year high of $110.34. The company has a market cap of $7.46 billion, a PE ratio of 8.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $102.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.33.

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

Axis Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Axis Capital’s dividend 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.