Zacks Research Has Positive View of AXIS Capital Q1 Earnings

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for AXIS Capital in a research note issued to investors on Monday, April 14th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now forecasts that the insurance provider will post earnings of $3.66 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $3.63. The consensus estimate for AXIS Capital's current full-year earnings is $11.19 per share.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%.

AXS has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AXIS Capital from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AXIS Capital in a research note on Monday, January 13th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AXIS Capital has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.75.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 2.5 %

NYSE:AXS traded up $2.34 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $94.28. 97,411 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 734,286. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $94.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.74. AXIS Capital has a one year low of $60.64 and a one year high of $101.42. The company has a market cap of $7.41 billion, a PE ratio of 7.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. AXIS Capital's payout ratio is currently 14.25%.

Insider Transactions 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 that occurred 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 directly owns 2,404,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $224,786,435.50. This represents a 47.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in AXIS Capital by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in AXIS Capital by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,931 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,799 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of AXIS Capital by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,694 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 900 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently 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.