NFJ Investment Group LLC Takes Position in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. $AXTA

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group LLC has purchased 96,649 shares of Axalta Coating Systems, valued at approximately $3.2 million, as per their latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors have adjusted their stakes in Axalta, with Millennium Management LLC increasing its position by 89%, now holding over 3 million shares worth approximately $102 million.
• Wall Street analysts have lowered target prices for Axalta, with firms like Wells Fargo and Mizuho adjusting their ratings to "overweight" and "outperform," respectively, but the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $37.71.

NFJ Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 96,649 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $3,206,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Axalta Coating Systems by 89.0% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,087,211 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $102,403,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453,551 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its holdings in Axalta Coating Systems by 11.1% during the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 19,383 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $643,000 after acquiring an additional 1,929 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its holdings in Axalta Coating Systems by 17.2% during the first quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,075,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $68,828,000 after acquiring an additional 305,000 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Axalta Coating Systems during the first quarter worth about $264,000. Finally, PDT Partners LLC grew its holdings in Axalta Coating Systems by 19.2% during the first quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 86,473 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $2,868,000 after acquiring an additional 13,919 shares during the period. 98.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axalta Coating Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXTA traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $31.71. The company had a trading volume of 1,048,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,397,843. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. has a twelve month low of $27.58 and a twelve month high of $41.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market cap of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.28. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $30.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.41.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. Axalta Coating Systems had a return on equity of 25.32% and a net margin of 8.58%.The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Axalta Coating Systems has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.450-2.550 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 0.630-0.670 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on AXTA. Zacks Research raised Axalta Coating Systems from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Barclays lowered their price target on Axalta Coating Systems from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Axalta Coating Systems from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Axalta Coating Systems from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $34.00 price target (down previously from $35.00) on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a research report on Friday, June 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axalta Coating Systems currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $37.71.

Insider Transactions at Axalta Coating Systems

In other Axalta Coating Systems news, SVP Amy Tufano sold 3,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.06, for a total transaction of $99,205.64. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at $375,422.22. This trade represents a 20.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.