Analysts Set AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Price Target at $100.25

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $100.50.

AXS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of AXIS Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday.

AXIS Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXS opened at $99.57 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 price of $93.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.74. The company has a market cap of $8.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. AXIS Capital has a 12 month low of $60.45 and a 12 month high of $101.42.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 14.25%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at $224,786,435.50. This trade represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AXIS Capital

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AXS. CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the third quarter worth approximately $212,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in AXIS Capital by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 300,726 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,941,000 after purchasing an additional 23,377 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 3rd quarter worth $235,000. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.2% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.