AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) had its price objective increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $110.00 to $115.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the insurance provider's stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on AXIS Capital from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AXIS Capital from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AXIS Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $99.88.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 0.8 %

AXS traded down $0.76 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $93.43. The company had a trading volume of 801,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 696,762. The company has a market capitalization of $7.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.57, a PEG ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $90.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.18. 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 52 week low of $57.99 and a 52 week high of $94.89.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital will post 11.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Transactions at AXIS Capital

In other AXIS Capital news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,234,636 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $199,999,922.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,543,170 shares in the company, valued at $406,613,715. The trade was a 32.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $230,000. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AXIS Capital by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,558 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 33,298 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,951,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $452,000. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AXIS Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $233,000. 93.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.