Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Mizuho

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Mizuho to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Compass Point set a $121.00 target price on Axis Capital in a report on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Axis Capital in a report on Monday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 target price on Axis Capital and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Axis Capital in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $104.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Axis Capital from $119.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.67.

Axis Capital Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of AXS opened at $106.97 on Monday. Axis Capital has a fifty-two week low of $83.90 and a fifty-two week high of $108.12. The company’s fifty day moving average is $98.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.15. The firm has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a PE ratio of 8.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. Analysts forecast that Axis Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axis Capital

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AXS. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Axis Capital by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,145 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $716,000 after acquiring an additional 776 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Axis Capital in the 1st quarter valued at about $354,000. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Axis Capital by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 6,916 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $695,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP increased its stake in Axis Capital by 102.0% during the 1st quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 5,253 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 2,653 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Agricole S A raised its position in shares of Axis Capital by 110.7% during the 1st quarter. Credit Agricole S A now owns 21,919 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,197,000 after buying an additional 11,516 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

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.