Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Decreases Stake in Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AX)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AX) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 145,524 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,617 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Axos Financial were worth $10,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Axos Financial by 27.2% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $770,000 after purchasing an additional 2,619 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Axos Financial by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 31,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,011,000 after buying an additional 1,111 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Axos Financial by 202.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 41,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,611,000 after acquiring an additional 27,792 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Axos Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $229,000. Finally, NFJ Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Axos Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,627,000. 83.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Axos Financial from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective (up previously from $75.00) on shares of Axos Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com upgraded Axos Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Axos Financial from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Axos Financial from $96.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Axos Financial news, Director Sara Wardell-Smith bought 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $64.73 per share, with a total value of $194,190.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,482.50. The trade was a 41.38 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Axos Financial Stock Performance

Shares of AX stock opened at $64.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.69 and a beta of 1.45. Axos Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $44.10 and a one year high of $88.46. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.10.

Axos Financial (NYSE:AX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. Axos Financial had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 22.10%. Equities analysts anticipate that Axos Financial, Inc. will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Axos Financial

Axos Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides consumer and business banking products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Banking Business and Securities Business. The company offers deposits products, including consumer and business checking, demand, savings, time deposit, money market, zero balance, and insured cash sweep accounts.