AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Given New $95.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its price target raised by Jefferies Financial Group from $88.00 to $95.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a buy rating and a $118.00 price target for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $63.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $92.86.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

NYSE:AXS opened at $80.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $6.82 billion, a PE ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.89. AXIS Capital has a 1-year low of $52.90 and a 1-year high of $82.33.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.41. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 19.70%. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.23 earnings per share. AXIS Capital’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that AXIS Capital will post 10.72 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.91%.

Institutional Trading of AXIS Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 92.1% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 21,403 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 10,261 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 158.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 32.6% during the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the second quarter worth $1,653,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 19.9% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 9,773 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620 shares during the period. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.