Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 10,527 Shares of Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AX)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its stake in Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AX) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 132,806 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,527 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Axos Financial were worth $9,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axos Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Axos Financial in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Axos Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $66,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Axos Financial by 238.6% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 773 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Axos Financial by 206.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 849 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.79% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axos Financial

In related news, Director Sara Wardell-Smith purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,482.50. This represents a 41.38 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Axos Financial Stock Performance

NYSE AX opened at $56.26 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $65.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Axos Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $44.10 and a 1 year high of $88.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Axos Financial Profile

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.