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 rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $107.75.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AXS. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of AXIS Capital in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com raised AXIS Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of AXIS Capital from $114.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on AXIS Capital in a research report on Monday, January 13th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Charles A. Davis sold 2,139,037 shares of AXIS Capital stock in a transaction 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. The trade was a 47.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXIS Capital

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXS. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,144,247 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $367,265,000 after buying an additional 17,764 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AXIS Capital by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,444,128 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $305,219,000 after purchasing an additional 12,571 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AXIS Capital by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,178,512 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $281,680,000 after purchasing an additional 53,514 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in AXIS Capital by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,510 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $238,344,000 after purchasing an additional 134,157 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in AXIS Capital by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,042,925 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $181,045,000 after purchasing an additional 20,976 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.44% of the company's stock.

AXIS Capital Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of AXS stock traded down $0.64 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $100.58. 479,686 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 596,029. AXIS Capital has a 52 week low of $68.02 and a 52 week high of $107.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $95.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.52. The company has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 8.14, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.82.

AXIS Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. AXIS Capital had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 18.16%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AXIS Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AXIS Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. AXIS Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.46%.

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.