Trexquant Investment LP Boosts Position in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. $AXTA

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in Axalta Coating Systems by 37.6%, owning 257,111 shares worth approximately $8.5 million after purchasing an additional 70,263 shares.
• Several hedge funds, including Financial Management Professionals and Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management, also significantly boosted their stakes in Axalta, reflecting strong institutional interest with 98.28% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Analysts have cut target prices for Axalta, with Wells Fargo and Royal Bank of Canada lowering theirs to $39.00 and $34.00, respectively, indicating cautious sentiment surrounding the stock's performance.

Trexquant Investment LP boosted its position in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA - Free Report) by 37.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 257,111 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 70,263 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned about 0.12% of Axalta Coating Systems worth $8,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AXTA. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Axalta Coating Systems in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $57,682,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Axalta Coating Systems in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $55,876,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,250,351 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $240,494,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663,261 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Axalta Coating Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,215,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 144.7% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,950,902 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $66,760,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153,620 shares in the last quarter. 98.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Axalta Coating Systems Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AXTA stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $31.04. 2,155,031 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,414,411. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $27.58 and a fifty-two week high of $41.65. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AXTA shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Axalta Coating Systems from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Axalta Coating Systems from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Axalta Coating Systems from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $42.00 to $32.00 in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Axalta Coating Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Axalta Coating Systems from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $37.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axalta Coating Systems

In related news, SVP Amy Tufano sold 3,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.06, for a total value of $99,205.64. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 12,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $375,422.22. This trade represents a 20.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.