AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on AXIS Capital from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AXIS Capital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

NYSE:AXS opened at $95.18 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. AXIS Capital has a 12-month low of $60.06 and a 12-month high of $98.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $90.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.95.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.25%.

Insider Activity at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $406,613,715. This trade represents a 32.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AXIS Capital

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AXS. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 0.4% during 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. raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $305,219,000 after buying an additional 12,571 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,178,512 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $281,680,000 after buying an additional 53,514 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in AXIS Capital by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $238,344,000 after buying an additional 134,157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in AXIS Capital by 1.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 20,976 shares during 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.