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

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $100.25.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AXS shares. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, January 13th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $199,999,959.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. The trade was a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AXIS Capital

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,144,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $367,265,000 after purchasing an additional 17,764 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,444,128 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $305,219,000 after buying an additional 12,571 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in AXIS Capital by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,178,512 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $281,680,000 after acquiring an additional 53,514 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $238,344,000 after acquiring an additional 134,157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,042,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $181,045,000 after purchasing an additional 20,976 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:AXS opened at $95.00 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.69, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $91.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.00. AXIS Capital has a 52 week low of $60.45 and a 52 week high of $98.11.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.29. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.25%.

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.