Point72 Europe London LLP Makes New Investment in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. $AXTA

Key Points

• Point72 Europe London LLP has acquired a new stake in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., purchasing 205,775 shares valued at approximately $6.83 million, representing about 0.09% ownership of the company.
• Several institutional investors, including MetLife Investment Management LLC and the State of Wyoming, have significantly increased their stakes in Axalta, indicating growing interest in the specialty chemicals firm.
• Axalta Coating Systems reported a quarterly EPS of $0.64, slightly beating analysts' expectations, but its revenue decreased by 3.4% year-over-year, raising some concerns among investors.

Point72 Europe London LLP purchased a new stake in Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 205,775 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $6,826,000. Point72 Europe London LLP owned 0.09% of Axalta Coating Systems at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Axalta Coating Systems by 3.2% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,637,025 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $386,000,000 after acquiring an additional 356,143 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 29.8% during the first 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 acquiring an additional 1,663,261 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 2.0% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,730,406 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $223,248,000 after buying an additional 132,234 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Axalta Coating Systems by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,140,945 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $137,344,000 after buying an additional 266,907 shares during the period. Finally, Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,913,488 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $129,810,000 after acquiring an additional 520,844 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.28% of the company's stock.

Axalta Coating Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AXTA traded up $0.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $31.87. 1,191,206 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,399,886. The business's fifty day moving average is $30.10 and its 200-day moving average is $31.56. 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 capitalization of $6.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.61, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.28. Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. has a one year low of $27.58 and a one year high of $41.65.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Axalta Coating Systems had a net margin of 8.58% and a return on equity of 25.32%. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AXTA shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $34.00 target price (down previously from $35.00) on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered Axalta Coating Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Mizuho reduced their price target on Axalta Coating Systems from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Axalta Coating Systems from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Axalta Coating Systems presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $37.71.

Insider Transactions at Axalta Coating Systems

In other news, SVP Amy Tufano sold 3,194 shares of Axalta Coating Systems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.06, for a total value of $99,205.64. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.