Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.38.

AXTA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Axalta Coating Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Axalta Coating Systems from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Mizuho set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Axalta Coating Systems from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 8th.

Axalta Coating Systems Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE:AXTA traded down $0.63 on Friday, reaching $30.94. 2,108,841 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,027,852. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.35. 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's 50 day moving average is $32.04 and its 200-day moving average is $35.23. Axalta Coating Systems has a 1-year low of $27.70 and a 1-year high of $41.66.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.29 billion. Axalta Coating Systems had a net margin of 7.41% and a return on equity of 26.29%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.48 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Axalta Coating Systems will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axalta Coating Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 11,757.1% during the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 830 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 823 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Axalta Coating Systems by 105.9% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 949 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Axalta Coating Systems by 951.6% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,325 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,199 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 60.7% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,318 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Axalta Coating Systems by 35.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,093 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. 98.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Axalta Coating Systems

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.