Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS) Price Target Raised to $121.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $118.00 to $121.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the insurance provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target suggests a potential upside of 23.44% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also commented on AXS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Axis Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Axis Capital from $116.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on Axis Capital from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Axis Capital in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $108.13.

Axis Capital Price Performance

Shares of AXS stock traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $98.02. The company had a trading volume of 132,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 621,166. The company has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.81. Axis Capital has a 12-month low of $69.47 and a 12-month high of $107.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $101.58 and a 200-day moving average of $95.62.

Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Axis Capital had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Axis Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Axis Capital by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,694 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in shares of Axis Capital by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 25,065 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,513,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings 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 worth $80,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,231 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Axis Capital by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 40,915 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,626,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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