Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA) Rating Increased to Outperform at BNP Paribas

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $38.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company's stock. BNP Paribas' price objective indicates a potential upside of 21.79% from the company's current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on AXTA. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Axalta Coating Systems from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Axalta Coating Systems from $42.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $41.36.

Axalta Coating Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXTA traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $31.20. 821,496 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,083,428. Axalta Coating Systems has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.65. The stock has a market cap of $6.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.53, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $34.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.12.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.09. Axalta Coating Systems had a net margin of 7.41% and a return on equity of 26.29%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Axalta Coating Systems will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Axalta Coating Systems

In other Axalta Coating Systems news, insider Troy D. Weaver sold 10,457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.57, for a total transaction of $392,869.49. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 74,905 shares in the company, valued at $2,814,180.85. This trade represents a 12.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axalta Coating Systems

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXTA. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems during the first quarter valued at approximately $55,876,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 12.3% during the first quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 103,826 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $3,444,000 after purchasing an additional 11,346 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Axalta Coating Systems by 31.1% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,744 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. MRA Advisory Group bought a new position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems in the 1st quarter worth $394,000. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 11,757.1% in the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 830 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. 98.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Axalta Coating Systems Company Profile

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes high-performance coatings systems in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings.