AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $100.25.

A number of equities analysts have commented on AXS shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on AXIS Capital from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

AXIS Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXS traded up $3.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $98.03. The company had a trading volume of 1,016,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 566,077. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.91. AXIS Capital has a twelve month low of $60.45 and a twelve month high of $98.26. The company's 50-day moving average is $92.18 and its 200-day moving average is $87.26.

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AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The insurance provider reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

AXIS Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total transaction of $199,999,959.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,404,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. The trade was a 47.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter worth about $88,175,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $88,147,000. FIL Ltd bought a new position in AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,893,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in AXIS Capital during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,775,000. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new stake in AXIS Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,118,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AXIS Capital

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.