AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

AXIS Capital Holdings Limited (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $107.75.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AXS. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on AXIS Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AXIS Capital from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th.

AXIS Capital Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of AXS traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $104.99. 816,569 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 597,937. The company has a market cap of $8.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82. AXIS Capital has a fifty-two week low of $68.02 and a fifty-two week high of $105.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock's 50-day moving average is $97.95 and its 200-day moving average is $93.71.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. AXIS Capital had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 18.89%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.46%.

Institutional Trading of AXIS Capital

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Summit Trail Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $300,000. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,840,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 133,675 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $11,846,000 after purchasing an additional 4,303 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 53.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,964 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,898,000 after purchasing an additional 17,082 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AXIS Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $246,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

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.