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

Shares of AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $95.86.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AXS shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AXIS Capital from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $118.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

NYSE:AXS opened at $88.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $81.01 and a 200-day moving average of $75.58. AXIS Capital has a twelve month low of $53.49 and a twelve month high of $88.29. The firm has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.90.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.57 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 10.82% and a return on equity of 19.24%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that AXIS Capital will post 10.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is 24.41%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 32,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,591,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 31,785 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,542,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 32.6% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in AXIS Capital by 55.6% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 462 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gries Financial LLC raised its position in AXIS Capital by 4.9% during the second quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 3,523 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.