Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) Stock Price

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) had its price objective boosted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $94.00 to $96.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AXIS Capital from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of AXIS Capital from $81.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.86.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 0.5 %

AXS traded down $0.42 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $83.11. The company had a trading volume of 100,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 575,297. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $79.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.01. The company has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.90. 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 one year low of $53.14 and a one year high of $84.84.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.16. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 19.24% and a net margin of 10.82%. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.57 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that AXIS Capital will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 18th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. AXIS Capital’s payout ratio is 24.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in AXIS Capital by 55.6% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 462 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 80.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 507 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 45.9% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 588 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 32.6% in the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 602 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in AXIS Capital by 424.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company’s stock.

AXIS Capital Company Profile

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.